The Western Way
by caffinate-me
Summary: 1st in the Western Series. Colorado Springs, 1875. Reporter Richard Castle, Sheriff Kate Beckett, cowboys, Indians, assassins, corsets, boots, cowboy hats, secrets, lies, courage and steel. But, remember, things aren't always what they appear in the Wild West.
1. Chapter 1

The Western Way

Disclaimer: I still don't own them.

Plot: The year is 1875. When notorious hit man Hal Lockwood is apprehended in the backwoods town of Colorado Springs, Colorado, infamous playboy and New York Times star reporter, Richard Castle, is sent to do an expose on Lockwood and the person responsible for his capture- Sheriff Beckett. But things aren't always what they appear and Castle is in for a few surprises as he ventures out of the big city and past the Mississippi River into the Wild West.

A/N: This is a rewrite of The Western Way. I had originally started that one only from Castle's POV, and as much as I liked it, I was severely limited and not able to do everything I wanted to do. So, I decided to rewrite it. This is the product of that decision. If you go look for the original and can't find it, I probably decided to take it down, but as of this moment it is still available if you want to compare.

Anyway, I am aware that this is not your typical Castle story, but I would love to hear what you think. Reviews are love. :)

* * *

><p>Chapter 1<p>

Richard Castle sighed and looked at his pocket watch; one minute had passed since the last time he had performed the ritual. The seconds continued to tick the hand moving slower and slower with every beat. Richard Castle sighed again. He held out his pointer fingers over the raised keys of the typewriter. Hesitating for a moment he dropped his hands back into his lap. He was bored and worse, he was blocked. There were four potential stories he could be working on right now, four stories that his editor wanted on his desk by the end of the day, but he hadn't written a single word. His gaze turned to the window and he let his mind wander to the concrete buildings and cobblestone roads of New York City. A horse drawn carriage clattered down the road and Rick shifted in his seat.

At that moment a single sheet of paper was slammed onto the wooden desk in front of him.

"Hal Lockwood."

"Excuse me?" Rick replied, started out of his reverie to find himself staring at the round belly of his editor, James Porter.

"Hal Lockwood," Porter repeated, leaning against the desk with his arms folded across his chest. "The man thought to be a killer for hire and responsible for the deaths of some of the most powerful people in the country. He has been caught, and I want you to go do the interview."

Rick sighed again, he was the best reporter at the New York Times and arguably one of the best reporters in the country, but internally he was cringing at the thought of being handed the best interview of the year on a silver platter.

"Of course," he forced a smile onto his face and pushed himself out of his seat, reaching up to straighten his bow tie before shoving his arm into the jacket that had been thrown haphazardly over the back of his chair. "Is the jail expecting me or should I set an appointment for tomorrow?"

Porter let out a chuckle that caused his belly to jiggle and reached up to dab a handkerchief across his thinning hairline as he turn to smile at his friend, and colleague. "Oh, Rick, that is the best part. He was caught, but not here. You, my friend, have a train leaving tomorrow morning for Colorado Springs."

Castle stopped short as his stomach plummeted, his jacket pulled half way up one arm, "Colorado? Oh, no, I am not going to Colorado. It is not even civilized out there. There are no roads, or theaters, and there are Indians running around like banshees. No way, Port. I can interview Lockwood when he gets here for his trial."

"Rick, people have been searching for Lockwood for years and he is wanted all over the country. So, while the states bicker over who gets to try his case, you get to get your pretty little arse out to Colorado and interview Lockwood and the sheriff who caught the son of a bitch. The New York Times wants an entire expose on this Sheriff Beckett fellow, Colorado Springs, and Lockwood. Apparently Beckett is the best in the west. As we both know, New Yorkers are obsessed with the west and the romance of it all. So, you are going to give them what they want."

With that James Porter pushed himself and his potbelly off of the corner of Richard Castle's desk and gave his long time friend a pointed stare. "This is the deal of a lifetime Rick. This could make your career."

Great, Castle thought to himself as he plopped back down into his hard wooden chair. Colorado, what could be better than the middle of nowhere? His gaze made its way back to the window and the concrete jungle that surrounded him. There was a steaming pile of garbage on the corner and the rancid smell wafted up through the open window and over his desk.

Letting out one more sigh he pushed himself out of his chair once more and lazily pulled his jacket up over his arms and shoulders. He flattened out his collar and lapels and adjusted his vest. Honestly, other than traveling to Boston or Washington DC, he had never left the city. Traveling days out west to do an expose on the "romantic" Wild West and some pseudo detective wasn't his idea of fun. In fact, it sounded like pure hell. Why people were so obsessed with the west was beyond him anyway. Out west Mexicans and ex-slaves ran wild, drunken men hopelessly pursued the dream of finding gold, whore houses and saloons lined the streets and women didn't wear corsets. To Richard Castle it sounded like the most backward of civilizations and he was not looking forward to the "romance" of it all.

After pausing at Porter's office to gather up his train tickets, made his way out into the cool New York night. It was October, so the wind was cool enough to be pleasant, but still managed to remind him that winter would be rolling around soon. He walked slowly through New York, the city that he loved and took in the sites and the sounds. He had been raised in and by the city that never sleeps. He had run through the dirty busy streets as a child and spent his first drunken night in a New York jail cell. He listened to two men fighting in an alley and looked at a frail sickly child begging for food on the streets. The child's dirty bare toes wiggled as he danced in place on the corner and his clothing was fraying at the edges. His eyes met Rick's and the emptiness startled him.

New York: the city of dreams.

Rick let out a puff of air and pulled his jacket tighter around him. Making his way down the bustling New York streets he could feel the eyes of women follow him as he passed. He couldn't help but let a smirk pass over his lips as he forgot about the gaunt child on the corner and took in the sound of twittering giggles and whispers as they made their way to his ears. If there was one thing that Richard Castle wasn't afraid to admit, it was that he had a way with the ladies. In the years since Meredith had left he had taken pride in his ability to charm women. It was something of a game to him and it was fun. He only hoped that Colorado would not take too long of a time since he was already looking forward to the influx of holiday balls and cocktail parties. In fact earlier that week he had put in the order for Alexis's dress which was to come over from the best designers in London.

Alexis.

'Oh no,' he thought as he nodded to the doorman of his apartment building. Alexis was not going to like the thought of him leaving for a few months or being left with the nanny, or even worse, his mother, for that long. At 15 she was practically a woman, and she had gotten a few interested suitors, but Richard was not ready to marry her off quite yet. He also knew that she was a city girl, and had no intention of exposing her to the hardship and dangers of Colorado Springs. Stealing himself as he walked up the stairs, Castle pushed open the door to his elaborate apartment and found himself stopped short, dumbstruck at the sight before him.

"Alexis!" The shout was out of his mouth before he could stop it and he would readily admit that a sense of perverse pleasure over took him when he saw his daughter and the young man that she had been kissing in the parlor jump apart so quickly that the boy tumbled backward over a chair.

"Daddy!" Alexis exclaimed, a look of shocked horror covering her face as she watched her father stalk towards the young man. "Daddy, you remember Ashley Sinclaire. He, we, I mean, it wasn't what it looked like I promise."

As Castle reached the young man, and lifted him up by his ear, he let out a disgruntled huff at his daughter's words. "Yes, of course, Ashley," he replied, walking the boy to the door, still with a firm grip on his right ear. "Tell your parents I say hello."

Firmly slamming the door, after depositing the boy in the hall, Richard Castle turned around to meet the disapproving stare of his teenage daughter.

"Was that really necessary, Daddy? All we did was kiss and you have said many times that you trust my judgment and you know that I would never disappoint you. You have known Ashley and his family for years. In fact," she continued with a stiff finger poking her shell-shocked father in the chest. "You and Ashley's parents have talked about us getting married. So, we both deserve an apology and you know it."

With that Alexis Castle turn on her heels, a long mane of bright red hair whipping around as the porcelain skinned young woman stalked into her bedroom leaving her bewildered father in her wake.

Castle sighed as he brought a hand up to rub his forehead as he stood rooted in his spot in the parlor. In that moment, he made a snap decision; it didn't matter what he and the Sinclaires had talked about concerning their children. Talking about a theoretical future and watching your only daughter make out with some boy were two completely different scenarios. And where had Rebecca, Alexis's nanny, been during all of this?

"Alexis," he called as he made his way to her door. "Pack your bags, we are leaving in the morning for Colorado. Make sure you bring enough, we will be gone for a couple of months at least."

Watching his daughter's jaw drop in shock for the second time in five minutes, Richard Castle couldn't help the sense of immense satisfaction that warmed his chest. Maybe a trip to Colorado wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

><p>The days on the train had been tense to say the least. Alexis had barely said two words to her father since they had left Grand Central Station three days prior and while the silence was starting to grate on his nerves, Castle was not willing to apologize for his actions. If he had to spend two months away from civilization, he was not going to do it on his own. Besides, seeing some of the world would be good for his daughter. There was more to life than just New York City, and it was time for his daughter to learn that. This had nothing to do with Ashley Sinclaire at all. This was just his way of being a good father and teaching his daughter about different cultures. There was absolutely nothing immature or petty about tearing his fifteen-year-old daughter away from her life, school or her society boy suitor.<p>

Two days later, as the train pulled to a stop at the Colorado Springs station, Richard Castle had managed to pester Alexis into speaking an entire sentence. They made their way off of the train and onto the rickety wooden platform sharing a worried glance as the sun beat down onto their exposed skin and dust swirled in gusts around them. Alexis gazed down at her skirt and the toes of her healed ankle boots as the fine red dust began covering her fine garments. Rebecca, Alexis's middle aged nanny, who had been adamant about accompanying them so to protect Alexis from "the unnatural forces that could be found on the frontier", let out a huff of disgust from behind them.

The buildings were no more than three stories tall and the roads consisted of beaten down dirt paths. Men were walking around in dirty wool pants and cotton shirts, cowboy boots and hats that the Castles had only seen in pictures. Women were wore ill fitted plain cotton dresses and skirts with their hair pulled into single plaited braids. Suddenly both Richard and Alexis felt severely overdressed in, what would be considered, everyday casual wear in New York. As passersby stopped to stare at the pair, it became painfully obvious that they had just entered a whole new world.

The pair made their way through the streets towards the only hotel in Colorado Springs, Alexis clinging to her father's arm. The term 'streets' was a stretch, Rick thought as he looked around, there was only one main road with a couple small alleys branching off to the sides. The buildings, while looking sturdy were made of wooden boards and most of them, but not all, had glass windows. Many doors were swinging panels. There was a saloon across the street from the hotel, and a couple of drunken men were sprawled in rocking chairs outside the doors. Any previous ill will seemingly forgotten as they made their way through the foreign land. Men leered at them and scantily clad women leaned out of windows from above the saloon, calling out while they walked down the dusty road.

Once they reached the hotel, the freestanding building was a pleasant surprise. The doors were made of solid wood and had stained glass windows. The lobby boasted a large chandelier and a dining room, which they were informed, was the best restaurant in Colorado Springs. Their room was a suite, booked by Porter the week before and had large rooms for both Alexis and Rick, with a smaller, but still elegant room for Rebecca. The older woman had continued to cluck about one thing or another as they had made their way through the town, trying to shield Alexis's eyes from the seedier elements. Alexis, for her part, had continued to crane her neck around, taking in all the sights she could.

Once they reached the room Rebecca had settled down, seemingly content with the state of their temporary home she ushered Alexis off to take a nap, despite her protests, and Castle was left to venture out to explore the city and find the infamous Sheriff Beckett on his own.

Wandering back down Main Street, he stopped to talk to a few of the locals and was pointed in the direction of the sheriff's office. The office, as it turns out, was a couple of jail cells and a wooden desk. Walking through the swinging door Castle took in the sight of a couple of seemingly drunken and extraordinarily smelly men sleeping in the first cell. A lone figure, presumably Hal Lockwood, was sitting stock still in the far cell, his back to the bars staring at the far wall.

Turning to the desk he found probably the most beautiful woman he had ever seen staring at him with a small, amused smirk on her face. He was surprised to see she had on dusty cowboy boots, which were propped up on the desk as she lounged back in the chair. An equally dusty cowboy hat sat on her head, covering her long dark brown hair that was falling over her shoulder in a braid. As he took her in, he was suddenly shocked to note that she was not only wearing boots and a hat, but also pants. A woman wearing pants? Castle couldn't help but find that scandalous, even for Colorado Springs.

His thoughts flashed back to the society women in New York City with their whalebone corsets, the best that could be imported from Europe and their hand stitched and beaded dresses- always in the latest fashion. How could a woman possibly think that it was okay to dress this way? He could understand the limited means of the frontier population but pants on a woman? At least the other women he had seen had the decency to be wearing ankle length dresses, hell, even the prostitutes were wearing dresses. What was even worse, Castle thought was that the sheriff had left this woman in charge of Lockwood. But right now he didn't have another choice; this woman was the only one here who could possibly tell him where the sheriff was and if he could charm the women of New York, he could definitely charm this woman too.

"Excuse me, Miss," He began, tipping his head in her direction and letting a confident smirk cross his face. "I am looking for a Sheriff Beckett. Do you have any idea where I can find him?"

The woman stared at him for a moment and the smirk on her face grew and he could have sworn he saw laughter fill her eyes, "Well, Sir, if you are looking for a _man _named Beckett, you would probably find him at the saloon."

"Um, thank you Miss, I appreciate it," Castle stuttered as he looked into the woman's shockingly green eyes, her wide white smile disarming him momentarily. As quickly as he had mustered up his charm and charisma, he felt it melt away as the woman disarmed him completely. Backing away slowly, he felt himself run into the swinging wooden door before dragging his eyes away from her and turning to look back out to the street. He heard the woman's soft chuckle when he exited the building. Standing their, just outside the door he shook his head and couldn't help but wonder what had just happened. Never, had a woman had that type of affect on him before, and he hadn't spent more than a couple of minutes in her presence. He had to get control of himself. He was not allowed to be feeling things for a frontier woman, especially one that wore pants. It was too scandalous and that was saying something, because Richard Castle was the king of scandal.

Wiping a hand slowly down over his face, he glanced both ways down the street. Once he had again gained his bearings, he made his way towards the saloon. He was shocked that the Sheriff would leave a dangerous man like Hal Lockwood alone with a woman so he could go have a drink. But after all, this was the west, not New York, and he couldn't expect the men out here to have the same work ethic. Walking through the saloon doors, he paused for a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the dark room before looking around. There were four men sitting around, playing a game of cards. A woman was hanging around one man's neck as he leaned back casually in his chair, a drunken smile across his face. Panning around the room the only other patron was a lone man sitting at the bar, nursing a drink as he chatted with the bartender.

Making his way to the bar, Castle set his sights on the bartender, a rather clean cut man probably around fifty. His salt and pepper hair made him looked distinguished and he wore a pair of pressed black pants and a vest, which Rick noted, was a step above normal garb in the town. The bartender was nodding knowingly as the drunken man at the bar rambled on about whatever woes currently plagued him and turned his attention to Castle as he approached, putting down the glass he was currently drying.

"Can I help you?" He asked as Castle saddled up to the bar.

Castle glanced around once more, slightly confused. None of the men in the room seemed to fit the description of the tough as nails, no nonsense sheriff who had caught Hal Lockwood. Hell, none of the men in the room looked like they could even stand for a fight, let alone shoot a gun, at the moment. "Yes, I hope so. I am looking for Beckett."

The bartender let out a slight chuckle and stuck out his hand, "Well you found him, Jim Beckett at your service."

Castle felt his eyebrows rise to his hairline as he reached out to shake the man's hand, "You are Sheriff Beckett?"

Jim's laugh grew into a full belly laugh, "No, definitely not. Sheriff Beckett would be my child. "

Castle felt his confusion grow, "I don't understand, I was just at the jail and the woman there said that I would find him here."

Jim laughed again, set down his drying rag and glass, and beckoned for Castle to follow him.

"What's your name, son?" The older man asked as he made his way around the bar.

"Richard Castle, I am a reporter from the New York Times. I'm here to do a piece on the sheriff and Hal Lockwood."

Jim nodded in understanding as he pushed his way through the doors and back into the town. "I know who you are Mr. Castle. I'm a big fan of your work."

"Let me guess," the older man continued. "When you asked for the Sheriff you said you wanted to talk to _him_."

"Well, yes," Castle replied, his confusion not lessening as he followed the older man back to the jail.

"Oh, that child is going to be the death of me," he heard Jim mumbled as they made their way up the wooden steps and past two men who were now lounging on the front porch of the jailhouse.

"Katie!" Jim bellowed as he passed through the door.

The woman, who was still dozing at the desk, lazily push her hat up with one finger to uncover her face, and cracked open a single eye to see who was calling her. "Will you please stop making this poor man run all over town looking for the sheriff?"

"What can I say, Jim, he said he wanted to talk to him," the woman voice had taken on an innocent bored drawl as she addressed the older man but Castle could have sworn he could still here a hint of amusement in it.

Jim let out a sigh and rubbed his thumb and forefinger over his brow in exasperation. After dropping his head for a moment and rubbing the back of his neck he turned towards Rick and held out his hand towards the woman, "Richard Castle, I would like you to meet my daughter, Sheriff Kate Beckett."

"Katie, meet Richard Castle star reported from the New York Times."

Richard Castle, master of the written word, charmer of women, renowned playboy of New York City found himself staring at Kate Beckett and found he was at a loss for words as Kate Beckett stared back at him; her amused smirk turning into a full fledged smile. Colorado Springs just got a lot more interesting and Rick Castle wasn't sure if he liked it.


	2. Chapter 2

The Western Way

Disclaimer: I don't own them; I am just sticking them in cowboy boots and taking them out to play for a little while. =)

Plot: The year is 1875. When notorious hit man Hal Lockwood is apprehended in the backwoods town of Colorado Springs, Colorado, infamous playboy and New York Times star reporter, Richard Castle, is sent to do an expose on Lockwood and the person responsible for his capture- Sheriff Beckett. But things aren't always what they appear and Castle is in for a few surprises as he ventures out of the big city and past the Mississippi River into the Wild West.

A/N: Thank you to all of you who are sticking with this story (the second time around). I hope you enjoy it. One of the main reasons I decided to rewrite this is because the first one was entirely from Castles POV- and while I love Castle- he is a fun goofy guy- with him what you see is what you get pretty much. When I wrote The Name Game, I wrote it from Beckett's perspective and I realized I like writing her, she is complex, there is more than meets the eye and I wanted to add that to this story too. Plus, in my mind there is a lot going on with Alexis that I couldn't say and this way we can get in her head also.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it. Feedback is always appreciated. =)

* * *

><p>Chapter 2<p>

Castle could tell that the incredulous laugh that passed through his lips was a bad idea the minute Kate Beckett stood from her chair. Her eyes, which had been full of amusement a moment before, burned with a sudden flame, her braided hair whipped over her shoulder, and her hat sliding down, forgotten, to hang down her back. Unfortunately, his disbelief overshadowed his common sense and words started to sputter from his mouth anyway.

"You?" He internally winced at the shocked skepticism in his voice as he continued to laugh through his words. "You are the famous Sheriff Beckett; the most feared law enforcement official in the West? You are the one person talented enough to take down Hal Lockwood? You? A woman? I don't believe it."

Katherine Beckett paused for a moment at his words before resuming her slow saunter around the desk. Kate was a tall woman and she had no problem using that fact to her advantage; women felt threatened by it and men were not expecting it. But at this moment she was still tall enough to be intimidating but short enough that she still had to look up at him. This was especially the case when she was standing as close to him as she was at the current moment. And while Rick was once again momentarily disarmed as she completely invaded his personal space Kate was not sure if she entirely liked the arrangement or not. In any case, in that single moment she had managed to take over the situation, and the feeling was exhilarating. Her face broke into what could only be considered a seductive smile and she bit her lower lip gently as she stared up to him, standing so close that the invasion of boundaries made him uncomfortable.

"Oh trust me, Mr. Castle," she began, as she brought her hand up to his cheek, gently caressing his face with her thumb.

She paused her words momentarily, allowing her hand to slowly trail down his chest before it came to a rest on his stomach. "I have many talents that would get a man caught."

Castle felt himself swallow hard. "Like what?" he managed to squeak out.

Kate bit her lip again, suppressing the chuckle that was threatening to escape from her throat and leaned forward to whisper in his ear, her hand still resting on the front of his shirt. "Like this."

Once she was sure she had him completely off balance she slowly puller her hand back from his shirt and the next thing Richard Castle knew he was doubled over, clutching to his stomach from where Kate Beckett's fist had connected firmly with his solar plexus.

Gasping for breath, white, hot pain shot through him and he could feel beads of sweat begin to form on his forehead. He managed to lift his head enough to see the sheriff resume her prior position leaning back in the chair; her boots propped up on the desk and her hands clasped comfortably behind her head. The smirk once again adorned her face. Standing there, doubled over in pain, Richard Castle couldn't help but think that, if it was even possible, Kate Beckett got little more beautiful in that moment.

The two smelly, drunken men in the first cell let out howling laughter as they leaned against the bars, their arms hanging through the openings. The two men who had been lounging on the front porch had followed Rick and Jim inside and continued to flank the sides of the entry. The identical knowing smirks on their faces showed that they had known exactly what was going to happen.

"Come on, Son," Jim Beckett wheezed through his laughter as he clasped a firm hand on Castle's shoulder. "Let me buy you a drink."

All Rick could do from his hunched position was nod.

Rick followed Jim towards the door and turned one last time to look at Lockwood's cell. The man was sitting in the same position he had been in earlier that day: back at the bars, facing the far wall. If Castle had to guess, he would say that the man hadn't even twitched and he couldn't help but find it slightly disconcerting. As he turned back towards the door, he momentarily locked eyes with the woman still settled at the desk. He could tell in an instant she had been watching him watch Lockwood. The toughness in her eyes surprised him, only once or twice in his life had he seen someone with that level of steel. Their eyes held for a few seconds more and for a moment he saw the steel falter. It was nothing more than a flicker, but in that second he would have sworn on his daughter's head that he saw nothing less than fear. When the hardened look returned, he watched Kate Beckett pull her hat down to once again cover her eyes. As Richard Castle made his way through the swinging door he couldn't deny that that small flicker of fear disturbed him more than Lockwood ever could.

* * *

><p>The last thing Kate Beckett had expected when she was woken up that morning was to come face to face with Richard Castle. Silently she cursed herself as she leaned back in the chair, willing the world to go disappear around her. She should have known that they would send someone out here; Lockwood was a big case she should have known that they wouldn't wait until he was back east to do a story about him. And not only did they have to send a reporter, they had to send Richard Castle. Richard Fucking Castle, star reporter from the New York Times. How many times had she gone through the stacks of newspapers that her father that shipped from back east just to read his stories? They were poignant, they were funny, and by God did the man have a way with words. Her father had given her an out though. He hadn't let on that she should recognize his name; that she knew exactly who he was. He hadn't given a glimpse to the fact that her room was piled high with books that he had recommended let alone books in general.<p>

Now, sitting with her feet propped up and her hat tipped down over her forehead giving her an air of indifference she couldn't help but feel her heart pounding in her chest and a flutter in her belly. She had just met Richard Castle. Well she had just met Richard Castle and punched him in the stomach. What could she say; the arrogant bastard had deserved it. She didn't appreciate it when people, especially men, laughed at her. It was rude. And not only that, but he had already gotten to her. He had seen it when his eyes had met hers after looking at Lockwood. She had let that wall fall. No, he had made that wall fall and he had seen that she was afraid. No one had ever gotten to her like that, not even… No she wasn't even going to think about him. No one, just no one.

A movement to her left caught her attention and all of a sudden she was catapulted out of her musings and back to reality. From the other side of the bars Hal Lockwood was staring at her with vacant eyes and a hollow smile on his face. As her gaze met his she had to force herself not to shudder or look away. Kate Beckett was not a weak woman. She could track the best criminals, she had the steadiest hand in the west, criminals feared her, women were threatened by her and men wanted to be her. She was in short, the best. But as she held eyes with Lockwood she felt the bravado, the bravery gush out of her. She wasn't going to let him know she was afraid, that he had that power over her still. He wasn't going to win this time.

Eventually, Lockwood smirked once more and turned to lie down on his wood slab of a bed. Only then did Kate shift to settle back into her relaxed position, though she was anything other than relaxed. She tried to push Lockwood from her thoughts and unwillingly her mind drifted back to Richard Castle; he was handsome she could give him that. However, she thought, it was clear that he was used to women falling all over him and she was definitely not the type to do that. Oh well, she thought, if nothing else she would have a lot of fun making him work for it.

* * *

><p>Jim, Rick and the two other men from the jail, deputies Rick assumed from their badges, had made their way back to the saloon after the 'incident' in the jail. Soon enough Rick found himself perched on a bar stool staring down a glass of amber liquid. Sniffing uncertainly at the presumably alcoholic fluid he could feel the eyes of the three other men on him. The pain in his abdomen had dulled to a throbbing ache and he couldn't help but think that the vile fluid might make that hurt go away, too.<p>

'What the hell,' he thought and threw back the glass, emptying the entire contents down his throat. The burning that accompanied made him let out a couple of staccato coughs and left his eyes watering.

"What was that?" he wheezed at Jim as the other two men, who had followed them from the jail, looked on with amusement.

"Tequila," Jim supplied. "You can thank Javi here for it. He brought back a few bottles when he travelled to Mexico last year. We break them out for special occasions. They say you can tell if the bottle is good by how fast the worm inside dies."

Castle felt his eyebrows, once again, reach towards his hairline. "Worm?"

"Yes, Sir," one of the men beside him, presumably "Javi", piped up, while the other man picked up the bottle. "You see it right there at the bottom? He makes this one of the best bottles to come out of Mexico."

Hey now boys, be nice," Jim interrupted as the men pressed the bottle up under Castle's nose. "Our guest is starting to look a little green."

The men let out a couple grumbles and Jim chuckled as they grabbed two glasses and plopped down on their own stools to poor themselves a drink. Turning back to Castle he simply waved off the other two.

"Don't mind them, they just like to have fun."

Castle eyes the two men who had fallen into an easy banter. "And who are they exactly?"

"Oh, I apologize." Jim replied as he resumed his earlier task of polishing glasses. "I'm starting to lose my manners; we don't get visitors around here very often. These are Colorado Springs's finest deputies- Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito."

Both men paused their banter and tipped their hats as their names were announced before falling back into their conversation.

After observing the pair for a few moments Rick turned back to the bartender. "They seem close."

Jim nodded. "They all are- everyone in this town knows one another and almost all of the children grew up together. These two looked after Katie when they were young and she looked after them. They protected each other then and they protect each other now."

Castle took Jim's mentioning of Kate as an opening. "Your daughter is… unusual."

Jim stood polishing a glass silently taking in the man seated at the bar. He had been watching his daughter earlier and could help but be baffled by her reaction to him. Normally she would have knocked a man out cold for saying half the things that he had, but instead she had just toyed with him, batted him around a bit for lack of a better term. His daughter was a good judge of character, maybe even the best that he had met when it came to judging people. If she said she didn't trust some one he wouldn't trust them either. If she said that a troubled kid should be given a second chance people jumped to give him another shot. She had intuition that people trusted. So why did she like Rick Castle, to many others he must come off as an arrogant bastard. Hell, to him he did also. He wouldn't be surprised if Katie saw him as arrogant also, but she still hadn't sent him packing back to New York.

Yes, his daughter was unusual but she was still his daughter and he felt the instant need to protect her, but if for whatever reason she didn't distrust this man he could try to be nice to him also. So, Jim let out another chuckle and Castle smiled at the happy older man.

"Katie has always been strong willed and a free spirit. I was a lot like you when I first came here; a fresh faced, idealistic youth from Boston. It horrified me that my daughter liked to play Cowboys and Indians, race horses and climb trees. I thought she should be inside learning how to sew and write calligraphy. But her mother," Jim paused for a moment, his eyes focusing on a point beyond Rick's head. "Her mother was a free spirit too. You see, she was born to a white mother and a Cherokee father and spent half of her life on the reservation where women have more freedoms than they do in our world. She insisted that I just let Katie be. After Johanna died, I seriously considered sending her off to a boarding school in Boston, to try to force her to be a proper lady. But I couldn't help but hear Johanna's voice in the back of my mind saying that Katie would never take to it, that she would just end up running away and I would lose her forever. In the end, I knew she was right. Katie was made to be exactly the way she is."

At Castle's suspicious look, Jim just shook his head, put down the glass he had been polishing and flipped the rag over his shoulder.

"Look Rick, I know she can be a little off putting, but she really is a good girl. She doesn't like being treated less than because she happens to be a woman. That girl of mine is strong, fiercely loyal and smart as a whip. If she had been born a man she wouldn't have to sucker punch men to gain their respect, they would just give it to her. My point is, that if you give her respect, she will return the favor."

Castle contemplated the other man's words for a few moments, idly playing with the glass in front of him. "Why are you telling me this?"

Jim sighed again, what could he say, he didn't even know why he was telling Rick this. "Because, even though your reaction earlier was less than ideal, I can tell that you are a good man and I like your articles."

"Plus," he continued, flipping the rag back off of his shoulder and picking up a new glass. "Katie likes you."

The younger man let out a soft snort as the bruise starting to form on his stomach panged again. "How do you figure that?"

"Because, " Jim chuckled once more. "She only went for your stomach."

Castle felt himself wince as he unconsciously shifted in his seat and crossed his legs. If that was how she treated her friends, he didn't want to imagine what happened to her enemies. Lifting his glass in a silent request for another drink and found himself gazing out the door at the jail as he lifted the glass to his lips.

* * *

><p>AN: So, better? worse? You excited to hear some more from the other characters?


	3. Chapter 3

The Western Way

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or any of its characters.

A/N: Thank you to all of you who are reading this, I hope you are enjoying it and keep coming back for more. Some more changes in this chapter. I added a subplot. YAY! Anyway, read, enjoy, respond, tell your friends how incredibly awesome this story is. And don't worry this story is going to be going on for a good long time- it may be a little slow as school has gotten a little overwhelming, but I promise to keep going as long as you all keep reading. =)

Now, on with the story!

Chapter 3

As the hours had worn on, the saloon had begun to fill and Castle decided it was time for him to take his leave. He had left Alexis alone for too long as it was. Ryan and Esposito- as they liked to be called- had gone to take their respective shifts at the jail and Jim was busy preparing drinks and chatting with the new patrons. He managed to stumble his way down the steps of the saloon and into the street. Glancing both ways he wasn't exactly sure where the hotel was. The sun was still high in the sky, but he had lost track of how many drinks of tequila he'd had; after a while they had all seemed to blend together as did all of the faces in the bar. Taking another stumbling step he felt an arm wrap around him and turned to see the sheriff as she pulled his left arm up to brace it around her shoulders. Kate for her part had been watching the man stumble around on the street for a good couple of minutes before finally taking pity on him.

"Come on writer boy," she grumbled as she pulled him down the street. "Let's get you back to your hotel."

A goofy grin passed over Castle's face as he let the woman lead him down the road. He let out a sloppy 'thank you' and she let out a small chuckle. Her smile didn't reach her eyes but it was a start.

"Well it's either this, or I lock you up for public drunkenness and since I have the feeling this isn't entirely your fault, I will be nice," Kate replied, silently cursing her father and the boys. They seemed nice from the outside but they were still protective and that protective streak easily turned into a mean streak. Too much tequila was always mean.

As they stumbled through the polished doors of Colorado Springs's newest building, and only hotel, Kate looked at the clerk who promptly supplied her with the proper room number.

"Lexis is going to kill me," Castle slurred as they made their way slowly up the stairs to the hotel's finest suite.

Kate felt her stomach jump up into her chest and swallowed hard forcing the feeling back down. She didn't even like this man. She didn't. So she wasn't allowed to be jealous. "Is that your wife?"

Castle let out a laugh over pronouncing his next words. "No, Alexis is my daughter. My wife ran off with some man who promised he knew the location of the Fountain of Youth or some shit like that."

Kate managed to turn her sigh of relief into a small hum of acknowledgement as they made it to the top of the stairs and Castle managed to stumble to the door on his own.

"I'll see you tonight," he threw lazily over his shoulder as he practically fell through the doorway.

Tonight. What?

"Wait. What?" She called as he staggered out of sight.

"Oh, your father invited us over for dinner," Castle said, popping his head back through the doorway, sounding surprisingly more sober. "Nice man, I like him. See you tonight, Sheriff."

Castle closed the door and smiled as Kate let out a disgruntled moan and mumbled.

"I will kill him."

* * *

><p>When Richard Castle and his daughter arrived at the home of Jim and Kate Beckett later that evening, he was looking refreshed and down right perky.<p>

Jim eyed him suspiciously when he opened the door. "I have never seen someone recover from tequila so fast in my life and trust me, I have seen plenty with these three around," he threw in, nodding back to Kate, Ryan and Esposito who were lingering behind him.

"I blame my years as a misspent youth, Mr. Beckett," Castle replied a childlike grin covering his face. Behind Jim, Kate roll her eyes and Rick had to admit that even though it was a risk to his health and his ability to have future children it was fun to mess with her.

"Father," Alexis admonished from her place next to her father. Rebecca had insisted on dressing her in one of her more formal dresses for the occasion citing that being a dinner guest was an event for a young lady to be on their best behavior, no matter what the location. As it was, she was extremely uncomfortable and felt completely out of place. Even worse, she had twisted her ankle when her heeled boot had gotten stuck in the dirt only minutes before.

"Oh, I am sorry. It is my turn to forget my manners." Castle apologized as he walked Alexis through the doorway. "Mr. Beckett I would like you to meet my daughter, Alexis. Alexis, this is Jim Beckett behind him are Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito- Colorado Springs's finest deputies and this," he said motioning to Kate who was staying safely in the background as Ryan and Esposito made their way to greet Alexis. "This is Kate Beckett, the most feared sheriff in The West."

Kate narrowed her eyes towards him at the introduction but he was more curious in Alexis's reaction to her. His daughter had grown up in New York high society. He wouldn't go so far as to say that she was stuck up, but she did like the finer things in life and hadn't known much other than the proper women around whom she had been raised. Rebecca, for her part, made sure that Alexis had been raised into the ideal specimen of a society woman. Alexis momentarily stiffened but managed a polite curtsy to the three men and murmured a shy hello to Kate.

Just the thought of a female sheriff was scandalous and to make it worse she was dressed like a man. Alexis shifted uncomfortably and saw Kate looking at her. There was a confidence in her eyes that Alexis had never felt in herself. Sure she was exactly how everyone expected her to be: the ideal young woman. She was polite, soft spoken, she could sew and dance; any man would be lucky to marry her but she had always felt like she could be more. Not that she would ever speak those words to anyone. She would be laughed at, shunned. But standing in front of her was a woman who had done exactly that and Alexis was suddenly fascinated clothing be damned.

As Castle watched the interaction a thought suddenly occurred to him and the sound of his voice snapped Alexis out of her thoughts and back into reality, a blush crossing her cheeks at the ridiculous thoughts that she had just been thinking. "Excuse me, but if all of you are here, then who is watching the jail?"

"Oh no," Esposito groaned. "I knew we forgot something!"

Castle eyes widened to a comical level and Kate bit back a smile rolling her eyes in response.

"Relax, Castle," she said after a moment, putting him out of his misery. "Montgomery has babysitting duty tonight. The jail and its occupants are in good hands."

"Montgomery? Who's Montgomery? Is he good enough to handle Lockwood?"

Kate gave an indulgent smile. "Of course he is, he's the one that trained me."

Dinner had been a somewhat tense affair. Ryan had introduced Jenny, his wife and the town schoolteacher. They had also met Lanie Parish a long time friend of the entire group and the town midwife. They had made polite conversation, but the foreign feel in the air seemed to have everyone at a loss for words. To Alexis it seemed like she had stepped into an alternative universe, and to some extent she had. There was a female sheriff, a Mexican deputy, a black midwife and an Irish couple sitting around the table with them. Even Richard felt like his head could explode at any second from the surreal quality of the evening. He couldn't even imagine what his daughter was thinking. Maybe he had kept her a little sheltered, he had been musing to himself when he heard Kate's voice sound quietly from the other side of the table.

The sheriff had been mostly silent during the meal, save only for some pleasantries. Castle was beginning to think that sitting and observing was more her norm, so he was understandably surprised when he tuned into her voice and found her talking to his daughter.

"Alexis, your dress is beautiful," Kate began as she leaned forward on the table, her fork now lying forgotten on her plate.

The soothing quality of her voice left him lifting an eyebrow. He had not expected someone as outwardly tough and no nonsense to be able to comfortably chat with a 15 year old about fashion.

Alexis floundered with the compliment for a moment before shyly smiling and accepting the words.

"Thank you, Sheriff," she replied, her manners always at the forefront. "It is one of my favorites, but I am finding it a little bit difficult to wear out here. I wanted to wear something a little less formal but Rebecca, my nanny, insisted. She always says that a woman should look her best no matter what the circumstances. I do not believe she foresaw me twisting my ankle trying to walk in this thing."

Kate's face broke into a kind smile. "Well, if you are open to it, I am sure we can find something for you to wear around here. It may not be as high fashion as you are used to, but it would make it a bit easier on you. Maybe we could even convince Rebecca that it would be a good idea."

Alexis eyed her skeptically for a second before Jenny chimed in from down the table. "Oh, I am sure I have something for you, but oh dear, you are a bit taller than Lanie and I are."

The table fell into an awkward silence for a few moments before Esposito, who was sitting to Castle's left, let out a soft snort. "Well, Boss, you could always give her the dress you wore to Ryan and Jenny's wedding."

A few strangled snorts and coughs erupted from the others as Beckett's eyes narrowed in Esposito's direction her no nonsense demeanor dropping into place like a curtain. "You're just jealous because I looked better in it than you did, Esposito."

An explosion of laughter sounded through the room as Esposito's ears turned bright red and he bent bock over her meal, shoveling a forkful of food into his mouth. Castle watched as smiling faces, including his daughters surrounded him and couldn't help but finding himself join in. The awkwardness was suddenly gone and the gentle ribbing, jokes and story telling began.

After the table had been cleared and everyone had settled around the roaring fireplace, Kate slip quietly out the front door. After a beat, Rick took the opportunity to slip out and sit down on the step beside her. They sat there in silence for a few moments, Kate methodically rolling a cigarette and Rick studying the setting sun.

"So why are you here, Rick? Obviously it has something to do with Lockwood, because he is the only interesting thing going on in this town." Kate questioned, her eyes never leaving the horizon. "But why would the New York Times send their star reporter all they way out here to interview him?"

Castle took a moment to study the woman sitting beside him and, taking Jim's words to heart, decided it was best to simply tell the truth.

"You," he replied, and her head whipped around in disbelief. "The New York Times wants an entire expose on Lockwood, the "romantic" west and the sheriff cunning enough to take him down. You, my dear, are a hot topic back east."

His final comment earned a raised eyebrow, and Castle couldn't tell if it was because of the information itself or because of the endearment.

"Hot topic?" She echoed ignoring his phrasing. "Well here's the deal Rick. You can write all you want about Lockwood and how he was caught. You can interview Ryan, Esposito, myself and any other town members you want related to Lockwood, his arrest and what it is like living in the "romantic" west, but I want to be left out of it. You can write about the larger than life Sheriff Beckett and his heroic efforts but leave me and my life out of it."

With that she pushed herself off of the step and made her way back into the house. "Come on Castle, I need to get the two of you back before dark."

Castle was left stunned sitting on the step and couldn't help but feel disappointment creeping up inside him. Somewhere in the last 24 hours, between meeting the sheriff and finding himself sitting alone on the front step of a homestead, the idea of getting to know Kate Beckett became a much more attractive thought than interviewing Hal Lockwood and possibly even the thought of becoming an award winning journalist. So, he pondered in the few seconds he was alone, why would someone so hell bent on not being looked down on for being a woman, want to hide behind the disguise of a man?

* * *

><p>Castle spent the next couple of days interviewing town members, including Roy Montgomery, the retired sheriff who had come out to Colorado in search of a better life after he and his wife received their freedom years before. The rest of the time he was chatting with Jim, spending time with his daughter, who was, to Rebecca's protests, getting to know some of the other children, and following Beckett around like a lost puppy. Maybe, if he shadowed her enough maybe he could pester her into submission.<p>

It hadn't worked. Instead, he found himself being led out of the jail on several occasions by his ear. By the third morning he was about to give up when he opened the door to the three room hotel suite- the nicest in Colorado Springs- and found a small stack of clothing topped with a note penned in flawless lettering sitting on the threshold.

"Alexis," it read. "I hope these fit you. I hemmed them a bit so they should be the correct length."

Looking through the stack he found three slightly worn dresses, a shirt and a pair of black wool pants. A pair of sturdy freshly polished boots sat off to the side. A small grin played on his lips as he presented the stack to Alexis. Only one woman in Colorado would leave a pair of pants for his daughter.

'Maybe there is still hope,' he had mused to himself as he set out looking for the hotel's kitchen with a small sack of coffee gripped in one hand.

Alexis, for her part, handed the stack of dresses over to Rebecca at her insistence, but not before hiding the pants and shirt at the bottom of her trunk. Rebecca had seen Kate Beckett from a far the previous day and had gone on for hours about the improper nature of the woman, and how Alexis would not be allowed unsupervised (by herself, of course) in the Sheriff's presence again. Alexis had merely sighed, and tried to defend her case. The sheriff was a nice woman after all, and Alexis found Kate kept her father in place extremely amusing. Not that she would ever tell Rebecca that. Instead she took the offensive garments and tucked them safely away, failing to mention who all of the clothing was from. Rebecca simply tsked in disappointment at the material and pattern but grumbled through the practicality. This was after all, not New York.

* * *

><p>"Good morning, Sheriff," Castle cheerfully announced his arrival when he saw the sheriff leaning back against the outside wall of the jailhouse; one leg bent bracing her bare foot against the dry wooden wall. Her seemingly ever-present cowboy hat and braid were suspiciously absent and her hair flowed freely down over her shoulders and back.<p>

"Reporter," she replied rolling her eyes as she brought the cigarette clasped between her fingers back up to her lips for another slow drag. It was early and she had just gotten back from riding out to the reservation, only stopping home to pick up the clothing for Alexis. Trouble was starting to brew with some of the younger Cherokee- they were getting anxious with the growing attention from back east and some of them were plotting to rebel. She had spent the better part of the evening before attempting to moderate a truce. She had been less than successful and was in no mood for games. But a tantalizing smell wafted towards her nose and after a second with a quirk of her eyebrow she nodded to the cups he had clasped in his hands. "What you got there?"

Castle let out a small grin. Whatever name he called her by she returned in favor. If he said Beckett, she said Castle. For sheriff it was reporter. The one time he had muttered under his breath that she was being a complete bitch she had yelled 'bastard' over her shoulder as she had walked away. Jim was right; she gave back whatever she received.

He called her Katherine once and had found his nose in a vice grip in response. He hadn't attempted it since. Maybe they weren't quite to that point in their relationship yet.

"It is a peace offering- real coffee from New York. Believe me, it is much better than that chicory swill you all have around here." Castle held out a steaming mug that he had carried over from the hotel.

Kate eyed it suspiciously, and Castle could have sworn he saw the same glint he had seen in his daughter's eyes whenever she had passed a candy shop as a child. When she hesitated, he held out the mug a little bit farther.

"Come on Beckett, this is the closest thing to a white flag that I have," Castle coaxed.

"What if I like that 'chicory swill'?" she challenged, still refusing to take the mug. She really didn't, it was awful. She usually would opt for tea if given a choice. Every once in a while they would get actually coffee in from Denver and she would savor every drop. It was so tempting, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

"Then it is clear that you have never had real coffee." Castle let an impish smile cross his features. "How about I just leave this mug full of hot, delicious liquid heaven right here on the step and if you decide to drink it, that is your decision. If you decide to poor it in the bushes or feed it to your horse, that is just fine too."

With that, Castle placed the mug on the top step and turned to head back into the street. Pausing, he turned back towards her, "Thank you, by the way, for the clothing for Alexis. She really appreciates it."

"I…" Kate started, thrown by the tantalizing smell of the coffee and the quick change in topic. "Why do you think it was from me?"

Castle smirked. "I am just not to sure if Rebecca will look fondly on the pants. The boots alone made her scoff. G'day Sheriff."

With the smug grin still firmly in place, Castle turned back around and made his way back towards the hotel, leaving a very confused Kate Beckett in his wake. The day was just getting weirder and weirder. She didn't want to indulge him, to make him right. So he had apologized that didn't mean she had to accept it, he was still an arrogant bastard. Then she caught another whiff from the mug.

Kate stared at the cup, her foot swinging back and forth, scuffing the wooden floor as she debated her options. Unconsciously she brought a hand up to run through her long hair, which she hadn't bothered to put back up into a braid after her trip out of town. She had learned that the less she looked like an Easterner the better the tribe responded to her. It helped that she had Cherokee blood and that her mother had been respected, but to some of the younger members that didn't matter. So she opted to ride out to the reservation alone, leaving her boots and hat behind. She had, debated changing into the tribal garb that had been gifted to her years before, the leathers felt good on her skin, but like the Cherokee distrusted the sheriff in her, the towns' people distrusted the Cherokee. So here she way, halfway between two worlds staring at a cup of coffee dropped off by a man who was from a third world entirely. When had life gotten this complicated?

Her attention drew back to the cup tempting her from the step. It smelled so good and she couldn't bear to waste it. She quickly glanced around to make sure no one was watching and a silly smile spread across her face as she smelled the steaming fluid and finally took a sip. She had listened to Little Bear and Lieutenant Bryant argue, debate, and yell until the pounding in her head a forced her to call a recess so she could get some peace and this one small cup of fluid heaven had made it all melt away. And of course he had to be the one to bring it to her. Her eyes opened after a moment of bliss and saw him watching her from across the street. Damn it.

With a huff she sent a glare in his direction only to receive a wide grin in reply before turning on her heels and pushed through the doors to the jail. If her options at the moment were dealing with Rick Castle and facing off with Lockwood, she would take Lockwood. At least inside she had Ryan and Esposito to keep her company.

Castle allowed a small triumphant smile to cross his face as he made his way through the doors of the hotel. 'Small steps,' he told himself.


	4. Chapter 4

The Western Way

Disclaimer: I still don't own them but they sure are fun to play with. =)

A/N: Thank you to everyone who is reading, reviewing, following, etc. I greatly appreciate it and I'm glad you all like this story. It definitely is fun to write and a nice break from reality. About half of this chapter is new content so read and enjoy and you get Kate and Lanie time. Woohoo!

Also, I have been thinking of doing a Castle SVU crossover set in the 1920s inspired by the PBS Prohibition series- thoughts?

Now, on with the story!

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

Kate Beckett let out a deep sigh as she slumped uncharacteristically on her horse. She was tired. No, she was utterly exhausted. Between Lockwood, having to babysit Castle and dealing with the issues on the reservation the past week had been hell. Kate was ready for a vacation- not that a vacation was even an option. Maybe she would go hunting for a couple of days once everything calmed down- being out alone in the woods with only a bow and arrow and Whisper, her horse, sounded fabulous.

She had once again spent the day out on the reservation trying to mediate between Lieutenant Bryant and Little Bear and once again it hadn't gone well. To be fair, the day had started out well until some of the soldiers had started in on their stash of rum and began throwing insults. The younger Cherokee had responded in like and soon their insults had graduated to fists. Little Bear, Bryant and Kate had spent the majority of the rest of the day separating the two groups and tending to the wounded. It hadn't helped when Bryant had begun blaming Little Bear for the incident and claimed that the Cherokee had slipped the men alcohol. Kate had to resist rolling her eyes at his argument that his men knew better than to drink while on duty.

Whisper plodded lazily towards the edge of town, taking her owner's lack of direction as an indication to take her time. Kate dozed quietly on the horse's bare back, her bare dirty feet hanging down by the mare's round belly and was caught completely unaware when she heard Lanie Parish's cheerful voice call out to her. Jerking upright, Kate blinked her eyes trying to bring the world back into focus. When had she made it back to town?

"And where are you sneaking home from so early? You go see writer boy?"

Kate wiped a hand roughly over her face, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. It didn't work. No matter what she did, her eyes felt like sand paper and her skin felt gritty from the patches of dust and early morning dew that had gathered on her skin.

"Do I look like I just came from spending the night with a man?" She glared at her friend as she slid unceremoniously down the side of her horse. Her bare feet sunk into the soft dirt and she wiggled her toes in an attempt to wake up her sleepy limbs.

Lanie merely looked over her friend from top to bottom and let out a sigh. "You at the reservation again?"

"Yeah, and negotiations aren't getting any easier. A war is coming Lanie, I can feel it and no matter what happens it is not going to end well for the Cherokee. The soldiers want the land and payment for protection and the Cherokee do not want to move and can take care of themselves. Once Bryant gets fed up or the young tribesmen get restless it is going to explode. It's like we are all sitting on a ton of TNT and I am the only one trying to snuff out the fuse."

Lanie's heart went out to her friend as she took in Kate's tired face and slumped posture. The woman had been running herself ragged for the last few weeks between tracking and capturing Lockwood, keeping an eye on the town and the brewing storm on the reservation. Soon it was going to catch up with her. Grabbing Kate's elbow she led her friend over the steps in front of the currently empty saloon.

"You know sweetie, no one would blame you if you gave up on this. They can battle it out. Who knows, maybe they can come to an agreement on their own," Lanie reasoned softly.

Kate let out a scoffing laugh. "It would be a blood bath Lanie. Plus, my mother would never have wanted it to go even this far. I have to do this Lanie. I have to do this for her. If anything happened to Little Bear or any of the others it would have crushed her. She worked so hard for them to have peace, to be left alone. I can't just walk away from her mission."

Lanie hung her head and patted Kate's thigh gently in understanding. "Okay, sweetie. But promise me this at least. Ask Montgomery to pick up some patrols so you can get some sleep. You look like death run over and you are going to do something stupid and get yourself hurt if you keep going like this."

Lanie pushed herself off the step as Kate nodded her acquiescence, pausing to adjust her skirt and pat down her hair. "Plus, you don't have chance of bedding with Mr. Castle if you look like you do right now."

"Lanie!" Kate's jaw dropped in shock and a red heat burned its way up from her chest to her cheeks and the tips of her ears. "I have no interest in _bedding_ anyone at the moment. Especially Richard Castle."

"Mmmhmm. I have seen the way you look at him. You like him."

"Like him? I can barely stand the man. He's annoying, petulant, conceded, self-centered, smug, arrogant and… and his hair is too perfect!"

Lanie let out a hearty laugh. "I think the lady doth pretest too much."

Kate glared at her friend, her patience wearing thin on the lack of sleep she had had over the last few nights. Of course, she would never think of Richard Castle and his boyish grin and soft hair, just asking for her fingers to run through it, that way. Stop it. She didn't think his wit was charming at all either. Glancing around her sluggish mind finally clicked as she forced her thoughts off of Rick Castle.

"Lanie, what are you doing out so early? The sun is barely up and we both know you would sleep until noon most days if you were allowed," Kate questioned sweetly, her eyes batting innocently up at her friend.

Lanie blanched slightly, caught off guard by the question. "I, um, Mrs. Johnson thought she was going into labor so I went to check on her. Turned out to be a false alarm."

Kate eyes her friend as she shifted from foot to foot, deftly avoiding eye contact.

"Uh huh, Mrs. Johnson just found out she was pregnant a month ago." Kate's face broke into a sly grin as she leveraged herself off of the step. "Tell Javier I said hello."

Lanie's jaw dropped as Kate turned towards the jail, a little bounce in her step.

"Kate! Beckett!" Lanie called after her. "Don't you go talking about things you don't know about."

"Truth is truth, to the end of reckoning," Kate quoted over her shoulder.

"Kate!" Lanie cried.

"Speak low if you speak love."

"Kate, quoting Shakespeare does not make you right."

"Go to you bosom: Knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know."

"Kate! If you don't stop I am going to disown you."

"Alas, I am a woman friendless, hopeless!"

Kate scampered across the street, laughter bubbling up out of her and a newly found energy buzzing through her body. Sometimes just a few minutes with her friend was better than a full night's sleep. She could hear Lanie's exasperated cries following her as she leapt over the steps and through the doors of the jail.

Kate shook her head to Montgomery who was dozing lightly at the desk before turning her attention to the cells. The first one held the usual suspects- a couple of the town drunkards. Hesitantly she let her eyes drift to the second one only to find herself staring into the cold eyes of Hal Lockwood. Any levity she had felt fled from her and she could feel her chest tightening. Her lungs ached for air but her body refused to suck in the greatly needed breath of air. No, she thought to herself, he wasn't going to get to her today. Not today.

As Kate stared down Lockwood, willing her lungs to start functioning again and her heart to stop pounding in her chest she saw what could only be described as a feral grin cross the man's face.

* * *

><p>"No!"<p>

"Yes."

"No!"

"Come on, sheriff, please?"

"No, I don't feel comfortable letting you in the cell to interview Lockwood. He is highly dangerous. He hasn't talked to you in any of the other interviews you have attempted what makes you think getting closer to him will make a difference? Plus, he hasn't said two words since we caught him, so I highly doubt he would say anything anyway."

Later that day found the two having their current face off at one if the small tables in the middle of Jim Beckett's saloon. It been a week since Richard Castle arrived in Colorado Springs and while interviewing the town's people and law enforcement officials was nice, he wanted more. He needed more. Porter had sent him a telegram the day before stating that Castle's first draft, which he had sent to him previously by wire, was a disgrace and he needed to get an interview from Lockwood. He also said Castle needed to get more background on Beckett but somehow, despite the current conversation, Castle felt it would be easier to get the interview with Lockwood than to be granted permission to expose Kate Beckett.

Castle threw back the rest of his drink- whiskey, Kate's choice, and gave her his best puppy dog expression.

"Forget it, Castle. I'm not letting you in the cell with Lockwood. In fact, just stay away from the jail all together."

Castle watched her as she pushed her chair back from the table, drained her still mostly full glass, and made her way towards the door swaying slightly as she did. Something was not right.

For the past week Richard Castle had been Kate Beckett's shadow- whether she liked it or not. He had followed her around as she went on her daily rounds, made notes as she broke up bar brawls and even sat in the jail beside her for hours as she idly passed the time keeping an eye on Lockwood. Kate was a secretive person, as Jim put it she "played her cards close to the vest". She didn't let anyone in, especially him, but as the week had worn on he had found little cracks in the tough exterior. He had heard stories of some of the adventures she and the boys had had when they were kids and she had pointed out the caves they used hunt for gold in. Apparently they had never found any, but it hadn't stopped them from pretending to be pirates in search of buried treasure. Her telling that memory was burned into his mind forever because it was the first time he had seen her truly smile. She had even consented to him coming to the reservation with her later in the week.

In that time, he had seen her drink on a few occasions but never to an extreme and never so much as to impair her motor skills. He watched her lose her balance slightly and bump into a chair as she stumbled again.

Roy Montgomery and Jim Beckett watched her silently from the bar but made no move to help her or stop her. As Castle met Jim's eye the other man ducked his head down and busied himself in drying a glass. He knew something.

Castle studied glass in his hand; the mood that morning had been tense. Castle had found Beckett, Jim, Ryan, Esposito and Montgomery huddled in a circle on the front step of the jail. All of them had turned to stare at him as he had approached; the hushed conversation they were having come to an abrupt stop the moment he had been spotted. The four men had disbanded mumbling one excuse or another as they all parted in different directions through the town. Esposito simply backed his way through the swinging doors of the jailhouse. Kate had made an off hand comment about doing rounds and had practically hauled him down the road kicking dust up in their wake. Previously, the woman had come up with any excuse to get away from him for at least a few minutes but today she had stuck to him like glue until the moment she had stumbled drunkenly out of the bar.

Castle had noticed the black circles that had taken up residence under Kate's eyes and the unsightly purple bruise on her left cheekbone. He had noticed the way she wouldn't make eye contact with him and how she had been distracted whenever he had tried to make idle conversation. He had also noticed that she hadn't poked, hit, slapped, rolled her eyes or made to pinch his nose or ear whenever he made an offhand smart-mouthed comment. Richard Castle had definitely noticed that something wasn't right.

He had noticed it all, but had dropped the topics of her face, her lack of verbal sparring and the now disbanded huddle when she had told him that she had been up all night dealing with a brawl on the reservation. When she had shrugged off his concern saying that she hadn't been to sleep, he had chalked it all up to exhaustion. Now, sitting in the saloon watching her sway away, Rick began having second thoughts.

Looking down at this glass once more, and then up at Jim and Roy, who were attempting to watch him inconspicuously, he made up his mind and pushed his chair back from the table. If the others weren't going to tell him what was really going on he was going to find out on his own.

"Hey Esposito," Castle announced his arrival as he made his way up the steps to the jail and through the swinging door. "Beckett said I could…"

Castle's voice trailed off as he looked from Esposito's bewildered face to the two very empty jail cells.

"Interview Lockwood… Esposito, where is Lockwood?"

"Castle you have to get out of here now and forget what you saw here."

"Did he escape? Is that why you all are being so secretive?"

"Castle, just leave. Go get Alexis, get on the train and go back to New York. Write your piece about Lockwood like he is happily sitting in our cell waiting for trial and everything will be fine."

Castle tore his eyes away from the empty jail cell to meet Esposito's gaze. The other man was standing leaning with one hand placed firmly on the top of the desk. The other hand was placed firmly on his still holstered gun.

"You know I can't do that. My job is to tell the truth."

Castle watched Esposito's eyes flicker momentarily and his jaw flex. He was about the start pressing the other man for more details when he heard the undeniable sound of a gun cocking next to his ear. He had been so focused on Lockwood and Esposito that he hadn't even heard someone enter behind him.

Turning slowly he found himself staring down the barrel of Kate Beckett's revolver. Her eyes were glassy and that steel that he had seen when they first met, that steel that had been in place almost constantly for the past week was gone. The dull look that replaced it made Castle's stomach fall. He may not have known Kate Beckett for very long, but he knew this look and these actions were not right. Nothing about this situation was right. She was not the kind of person to hold a gun to an innocent person's head. He knew her well enough to know that, but the look in her eyes told a different story. There was no strength, no fear, and no pain. There was no emotion at all.

"Kate." His voice was soft. "What happened? Where is Lockwood?"

He saw that fear once more. That fear he saw in her eyes on that first day when she had seen him watching Lockwood. It was that simple flicker that told him that so much more was going on than he knew about. Something had happened before he had arrived in Colorado Springs and something else had happened the night before. He made to take a step forward only to find her gun, which had lowered slightly a few seconds before, pointed back up at his nose. The fear was once again gone.

He stared at her for a moment longer, his heart pounding heavily in his chest. He wouldn't have been surprised if she could hear it too.

"Kate," he prompted again.

Her eyes met his, and her voice was hollow when she finally answered him.

"I killed him."


	5. Chapter 5

The Western Way

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or any of its characters. I just like to put them in cowboy boots and take them out to play.

A/N: Hi everyone! I apologize for the delay in this post, but once again life has the pesky ability to get in the way. Plus, this chapter was really hard to write and rewrite. I hope it turned out well and it's worth the wait. I am still unsure about it so I would greatly appreciate hearing what you think. Anyway, I totally changed this chapter and look to the A/N at the end if you find yourself confused at all.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Chapter 5<p>

"I killed him."

The three words resonated throughout the room, bouncing off of the wooden walls and wrapping around the bars of the jail cells. They threatened to filter through the slates of the still swinging doors and reach the street outside.

Kate's eyes were blank and glassy with the whiskey that was still working its way through her system. "I couldn't stand to look at him anymore so I took out my gun and shot him."

The words echoed through Rick's head as his brain struggled to process them. In the week that he had been in Colorado Springs he had learned a lot about Kate Beckett whether she had wanted him too or not. He had observed her, questioned the town's folk, pestered her for stories and tidbits about her life. Kate may be many things- surly, kind, tough, soft, strong-willed, dedicated, smart, serious, funny, and a little bit bitchy but she was not a killer. Sure, if a person were coming at her with a knife, or attempting to harm someone else, she would not think twice about defending herself, but if Hal Lockwood was in a locked cell she wouldn't have killed him without justification.

Hesitantly Castle took his eyes off of the gun and let them wander slowly around the room. Esposito was now standing behind the desk, his hand hovering over his still holstered gun, ready to drawn and fire at the slightest provocation. The cells were empty and the room was eerily quiet without the drunken men snoring in the closest cells. The benches were bare and the cell doors swung slightly with the breeze that made its way through the barred windows. The far cell was the same, bare bench and unlatched door.

Blood.

Castle looked back at Kate quickly only to find her watching him curiously, her gun still aimed at his head. Cautiously he crossed his feet and made a slow pivot so he was facing Lockwood's old cell and took a step forward. Kate made a slight sound of protest behind him, but his mind was no longer focused on his current life-threatening predicament.

"Why isn't there any blood?"

"What?" Kate's voice was flustered as she processed the unexpected question.

"If you had shot Lockwood in his cell like you said, there would be a lot of blood in here. So, why isn't there any blood?"

Rick turned back to face Kate only to be started by the sound of another gun being cocked. Roy Montgomery stood just inside the doors to the jail his revolved level with Kate's head.

"Kate, put down your gun. We both know you didn't do this. We both know you didn't shoot Lockwood."

Roy's voice was soft and Kate let her eyes fall closed as she processed his words.

"Roy," her voice was choked with raw emotion as she spoke his name through gritted teeth. "Don't do this."

"Kate, you didn't shoot Lockwood, and we know that you won't kill Mr. Castle either so just put your gun down."

Rick's eyes once again locked with Kate's and the moment seemed to last forever before she brought her thumb up to lower the hammer on the gun and slowly let her arm fall to her side. Roy followed suit, letting out a slow breath as he did so, and all four of them were left standing awkwardly in the empty jailhouse.

After a few more seconds Esposito sunk back into the chair and Kate turned to lean tiredly against the desk, still looking at Rick wearily out of the corner of her eye.

Roy turned his eyes to look at Castle, his arms falling as well. "Kate didn't shoot Lockwood, I did."

If there was one thing Castle knew about Roy Montgomery, it was that he was a good man. They had sat talking for hours in the saloon a few days prior. Roy and his wife had won their freedom twenty years prior- something rare for a couple before the war. They had made their way across the country from the east coast, searching desperately for a place that felt safe enough to call their home. When they reached the west they had stumbled across a tribe of Cherokee and after pleading their case, were granted safe haven within the tribe. From there they found themselves in the welcoming arms of Johanna Beckett- a bridge from the tribe to the town, her husband and their charmingly rambunctious daughter. They had moved to Colorado Springs, worked in the community, and began raising a family. It had been hard, but Roy had managed to gain the respect and trust of the town's people and had been elected sheriff. Two years prior he had decided to retire from the position and named his deputy protégé, young Kate Beckett, as his successor.

Now, looking back and forth between the pair, he couldn't decide whether Kate was trying to cover for her mentor, or if Roy was trying to cover for her.

"So, what happened with Lockwood?"

The question made the woman standing in front of him to freeze before she bolted for the door. The unmistakable sound of Kate emptying her stomach contents off the steps of the jailhouse made their way back through the door. Once she returned, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand, he leveled his gaze on her once again. He was going to get to the bottom of this.

He saw her eyes shift between him, Esposito and settle on Montgomery for a second. Castle was sure both of the other men knew this story already.

"When we heard rumors about Lockwood being near town, we knew it wasn't good, and we knew we couldn't let him get away," Kate made her way around the desk to settle in the chair, her posture still tense as she sat, her normal relaxed position forgotten. "He was too dangerous and he had already killed too many people. In the end, he made his way into town, and liked to settle in at Dad's saloon during the day, but he never stayed in town at night."

She paused looking down at her hands, which were clasped in front of her, and she nervously studied her fingers for a moment. "We knew that, while we all know the terrain, it would be difficult to sneak up on him outside of town and it would be next to impossible to follow him. We didn't know if he was traveling alone or not. In the end we decided it would be easiest to take him down in town. We watched him for a couple of days, got to know his routine and we noticed he liked to drink whisky, but never enough to get himself drunk."

"He never talked to anyone. He sat alone at the bar, but his back was never to the door. You could tell he was watching everything, even though his expression never changed."

Kate paused, her hands stilled and she lifter her eyes to meet his. "He never showed a single emotion, not one."

Dropping her eyes once more, her fingers started to dance again, fingers playing absently with other fingers as she dove back into her story.

"We could only think of one way to get him alone. He may have been a paranoid man and a trained killer, but he was still a man, and on more than one occasion he paid to spend time with one of the town's ladies. When we were observing him, I made sure to send either Ryan or Esposito so he had never seen me."

Castle nodded his head in understanding, he could see now where this story was going, and he was starting to get a sinking feeling, as Kate's face betrayed her emotions once again.

"In the end, obviously, we were able to get him, but it was more difficult than we had originally planned. I underestimated him, and I thought the element of surprise would be enough to take him down. I should have known better. Roy, Ryan and Esposito came in and subdued him but not before we managed to beat each other up pretty badly, my top was ripped and he was trying to…"

Her voice trailed off, and Castle sucked in a small breath as he filled in the blank.

Kate shook her head slightly, trying to shake the thoughts from her memory.

"After we caught him he didn't say a word. He just sat in his cell, completely still. We never left him alone, I would be here during the day and Ryan, Esposito or Roy would take the night shifts. They refused to let me be alone with him," she continued as she looked at him, seemingly forgetting that the other men were still in the room listening. "I guess they were trying to protect me, they came into that room and saw him on top of me, pinning me to the bed. Esposito went crazy. I thought he was going to kill Lockwood. He probably would have if Ryan hadn't pulled him away.

"The night before you came to town, I was just about to leave for the night when Lockwood turned around in his cell and looked me dead in the eye. It was the first time he had done anything but eat, sleep and stare at that wall. He said that it wasn't over. Then, last night he tried to escape and to finish what he had started the night we caught him."

Castle looked between the three of them. "Why were you here?"

Roy and Esposito looked down at the ground guiltily as Kate continued. "Ryan was supposed to be here, but it was his wedding anniversary so I told him I would cover. Once Roy found out I was here alone, he came to take over."

Her voice trailed off and Roy jumped in to complete the story. "When I arrived, Lockwood had broken out of his cell and had Kate on the ground, a knife to her throat so I shot him."

Kate's eyes flickered for a moment, but didn't say anything, and Castle noticed for the first time that she had a length of cloth tied around her neck.

"Well, in that case," he said softly. "It was self defense, no one would blame you for killing him."

Kate let out a hollow laugh. "Lockwood is the most hated man in America right now. The man manages to make John Wilkes Booth look like a saint and a woman and a black man in Colorado Springs just denied them the satisfaction of his public trial and execution. Our best bet right now is to pretend that Lockwood is still alive and he failed at his escape plan."

Castle looked between the three of them. "But what happens when Lockwood is needed for trial? How will you explain what happened?"

Kate glanced over at Montgomery and then at him. "We'll tell everyone there was an influenza outbreak and Lockwood was one of the casualties."

Castle looked at the faces staring at him from around the room. The dust covered, tired faces of three people he had only known for a week; the faces of his friends.

"Okay," he said, "What do you need me to do?"

He watched as Kate's face split into a relieved smile and couldn't help but smile back. He wasn't sure if she was relieved that he was helping, or that she didn't have to shoot him, but it made him happy to see her happy and that made him smile even more.

"And when do I get to see you dressed up like a prostitute?"

The smile dropped from Beckett's face as she reached for her gun once more.

* * *

><p>Castle made his way back to the hotel, thoroughly exhausted. The six of them, Ryan and Jim had made their way to the jail, a short while after they had begun planning, had spent the previous two hours coming up with a solid plan to cover up Lockwood's untimely death.<p>

"Father!" Alexis exclaimed excitedly as he made his way through the door. "Look who arrived on the train this evening!"

Castle raised his head to look at the person currently sipping a cup of tea in the hotel room's small living area and felt his eyes widen. Oh, no.

"Hello, Rick."

Richard Castle closed his eyes and scrubbed the side of his face with the palm of his hand. Opening his eyes once again he forced a large smile onto his face and held out his hand.

"Port! What brings you all the way to Colorado Springs?"

"Well, Rick, after your draft I had the feeling that you could use some help on this story so I came to lend you my expertise. Now, why don't we get started, I can't wait to meet this Sheriff Beckett fellow. He sounds like The American Hero."

* * *

><p>Early morning found Kate lying awake in her bed. She hadn't slept for two days and whenever she closed her eyes she was plagued with images of blood. Lockwood's blood staining her hands and clothes, the sight of his cold dead eyes staring up at her as the knife protruded from his gut. The blood of the Cherokee seeped in next as she imagined the battle that would soon breakout between them and the army quietly waiting outside of the reservation. Her mother's eyes came in last, through the blood, tears streaming down her cheeks as she took in the sights. 'Why didn't you stop them Kate, you promised me you would keep them safe'. The words swirled through her brain, washed in red and screaming through the barrage of other images.<p>

Her eyes flew open once more as she gasped for breath. She had only fallen asleep for a moment, but a moment was enough for the darkness to come. Flipping over on the hard mattress she pillowed her arm under her head and fiddled with the end of her braid mindlessly with the other. She forced herself to stare at the random items around her room and move the nightmares to the back of her mind. Her revolver and holster were slung carelessly over the wooden chair in the corner her father had crafted for her. On the floor next to it her pile of dirty clothing had grown, silently reminding her that she was down to her last pair of clean pants and she would have to do laundry soon if she didn't want to dig a floral prairie dress out of her trunk. Putting men in jail looking like her Mrs. Julien's prize-winning garden had thrown up on her was not her idea of fun. Plus, it had a bonnet. She shuddered at the thought of the bonnet.

Her eyes trailed slowly across the wooden floor. Her father had built that floor. The boards weren't perfectly straight and there were small gaps where small objects could fall through if you weren't careful, but it was hers and he had built it for her. She had sat next to him day after day handing him nails and pegs, helping him measure. She had offered to actually build it with him, and had begged him day after day, but he wouldn't let her do any of the lifting and hammering, at least not while she…

Kate shook her head again. Now was not the time to be thinking about that.

Her eyes trailed up to the overflowing bookshelf. It took up the majority of the wall, but still it was not enough room. She had considered putting up another one, but she just hadn't gotten around to it yet. She had collected hundreds of book over the years. It was one luxury she still indulged in. There were perks to having a saloon owner for a father and a translator and mediator for a mother. She had never wanted for anything growing up. Yes, their living may have been meager by high society standards but she had still had some simple indulgences like books. As a child she had spent hours sitting in the highest branches of trees getting lost in the pages. She had read anything she could get her hands on, even if she had not understood it at the time and she had saved every last one of them. Her father had teased her over the years that he would have to build another house just for her books.

The top shelves boasted the complete collection of Shakespeare's plays and books of sonnets along with _Dante's Inferno_, _The Illiad_, _The Odyssey_ and many other books on Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Chinese and Norse Mythology. Under those were well-worn copies _of Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall_ and every book that Jane Austen had written. Staring at the worn and frayed spines she let a small smile grace her lips. She didn't care what anyone said, they all had been written by women. They had to have been. She let her eyes fall scanning the titles until she got to some of her newer acquisitions _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_, a children's book by label but she had liked it just the same, and a first novel by a man named Henry James. She had only finished that last one a few weeks before and it may not be her favorite, but she had to admit he had potential. Her gaze fell to the bottom shelf where a stack of yellowing copies of the New York Times sat next to a few dust covered books of Fairytales. Kate bit her lip as she let her eyes rest on the papers. She may never admit it out loud but she was a fan of his writing. The man did have a way with words and he could make even the most mundane story sound interesting. She felt her mind begin to wander with thoughts of Richard Castle and she forced her thoughts onto the dust-covered volumes instead.

Fairytales. As a child she had been enthralled by the ideas of magic, dragons, castles, princesses, princes, deceptions and gory details, but as she got older she couldn't help but wonder why the princess could never rescue herself. Why did she always have to helplessly wait for the prince to come and rescue her? Princesses should be tough. Cleopatra was a woman and she had much of the known world bowing before her. Why couldn't these princesses just overcome one little obstacle? Plus, it wasn't like Prince Charming was that bright to begin with- he always just went mindlessly after her. Why had he never been caught? Why couldn't he need saving for once? A princess could wield a sword just as well as any prince.

Kate could feel the anger swelling up inside of her and she threw back the covers. Stupid Fairytales. She should just get rid of them, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, to throw away those were pages of magic and childhood innocence when the princess didn't have to worry because she knew her prince would be there to rescue her soon. Kate scoffed once more at her again disloyal mind; princesses could save themselves. She was proof of that.

Making short work of finding some of her remaining clean clothes she paused to splash some cool water on her face and to re-braid her long hair before donning her gun, boots and hat. With a last glance at the bookshelf she sighed away the thoughts of finding a high branch and getting lost in some of those comforting pages and slipped out the door into the cool morning.

People were starting to make their way out into the morning as she made her way down the center of town. She spared a glance at the shiny stained glass doors of the hotel and fleetingly wondered if Castle would bring her coffee today, before making her way over to the jail. She stared down at the dusty earth being scuffed up by her boots as she came upon the jailhouse steps and stopped short as a second pair of boots came into her eye line.

Lifting her head her heart started to pound as she took in the perfectly buffed boots, pressed wool pants, starched shirt and jacket. A top hat and mustache topped off the ensemble. As she froze in place, eyes wide, heart pounding and mouth slightly agape, Kate couldn't help but think about how different he looked.

The man stood and took a step forward as she stumbled slightly backward. Not today, she couldn't handle this. Not today.

"Hello, Kate."

Kate closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, praying her heart to still and the ringing in her ears to dissipate. When she opened her eyes he was still there, perfectly pressed and fresh from Boston. The boyish charm he had once expressed replaced with distinguished good looks, but he was still the same.

"Josh, what are you doing here?"

* * *

><p>AN: Yes, there are 3 (count them 3) versions of how Lockwood died, but which one is the truth? Anyone else wanting to kill me over Josh yet? No? Well just wait for the next chapter. Thanks for reading, I hope you all are enjoying reading this story as much as I'm liking writing it. =)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Father, what are you going to do?"

Rick lay sprawled out across Alexis's small bed as she sat on the window seat under the bay window that adorned the west-facing wall of her bedroom. It was long past the time for both of them to be asleep but Rick's mind was still spinning over the revelations of the day and he had to talk to his only true confidante- his daughter. He had just finished recapping the events of the day for her and was patiently waiting her sage advice. Rebecca had left them hours earlier with a poorly hidden string of disapproving mumbles and looks. Sometimes it seemed like she was both of their nannies.

"I don't know," he whined into the firm mattress. "But I do know that something is not right about Lockwood's death."

"Well, who do you think is telling the truth?"

Rick sighed again and picked at the quilted lines of the blanket. "That's the tricky part; I don't think either of them are telling the truth. I think there are elements of truth in both versions, but something is missing. Neither of them seem the type of person who would kill someone in cold blood, but how do you know that for sure? And the circumstances don't add up. Kate told me that she was at the reservation all night, but then changed her story to say that she was at the jail. So why would she lie?"

Alexis sat quietly for a moment. She had only seen Sheriff Beckett a couple of times over the course of the past week, but she found the woman intriguing. Once she looked past the messy hair, gun and men' clothing, Kate was a smart, independent, and strong woman; something Alexis secretly aspired to be. Women back in New York were beautiful and strong in their own ways but it was different. There was an underlying air of pettiness and submission in those women. Beckett refused to back down to anything or anyone and Alexis admired that. Alexis admired her.

"Well, if they did kill Lockwood then it was for a good reason; we just need to find it."

Rick looked up startled. "We?"

"Yes, we. I am going crazy here. If Rebecca had her way I would be sitting around this suite all day in my Sunday best working on my calligraphy and planning my wedding to Ashley. I want to be out doing something. Please, Daddy. Plus, you need someone to distract Mr. Porter."

Rick's stricken look at his daughter's mention of marriage turned into a blanche at the reminder that Port was in town. He considered the hopeful look on his little girl's face for a moment. No, he was looking at his daughter, a young woman. She was no longer a child. She was strong and smart and she paralleled Kate Beckett in so many ways. Did he really just want his daughter to be a prize on Ashley Sinclair's arm for the rest of her life? Was college for a woman really such a bad idea? Alexis, at fifteen, was smarter than many of the full-grown men Rick had met. Maybe getting out and being around Kate, Lanie, Jenny and even the boys would be a good experience for her.

"All right, fine. You can help me." Castle relented, causing Alexis to release a squeal of delight. "But you let me know where you are and what you are doing at all times. Make sure you do not do anything stupid, and for the love of everything holy in this world do not let Rebecca know what you are doing. That woman is scary and if she caught wind of this she would have both of our hides."

He let out an exasperated shutter and Alexis giggled as she stood from the bench and bounced over to tackle her father with a hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She replied, pulling her father up from the bed in the process. "Now get out. It is late and we both need our beauty rest. Some of us more than others."

Rick put a hand up to his chest in feigned indignation. "You wound me daughter! I give you life, I give you a home, love and allow you to impart your wisdom to me in this investigation and you kick me out like a sack of garbage? After all of the love, respect and care I have given you? Where did I go wrong?"

Alexis merely shook her head as she pushed her father towards the door.

"Goodnight, Father."

"Goodnight, Daughter."

* * *

><p>Morning met them with a shout from Rebecca to move their lazy behinds out of bed. It was already seven o'clock and the day was passing them by. The father-daughter duo met her with morning grumbles and hands to their foreheads as the older woman scolded them on their late hours and tawdry habits until the pair dressed as quickly as possible and fled to the small café for breakfast. Rebecca yelling after them to change their clothes into something more appropriate.<p>

Rick had exchanged his New York finest for a more casual look of a button down shirt covered by a comfortable vest and woolen slacks. Beckett's sly smile and drawled out "Nice threads, Castle" hadn't influenced his clothing choice at all. Nor had it caused him to invest in a pair of sturdy boots, which he had taken great pleasure in breaking in over the course of the last couple of days, including wearing them while he practiced drawing imaginary six shooters from his sides in a draw with his mirror. He had also briefly considered a cowboy hat, but as Alexis had pointed out in the store, he didn't want to look like he was trying too hard. He had pouted for a moment before relenting that she was correct. He would just be sure to pick one up before they left for home.

Home.

The concept of New York City with its dirty streets, rotting piles of garbage and buildings tall enough to block out the sun sounded so foreign and they had only been gone for two weeks. New York didn't have Kate. No, she had nothing to do with this. Kate was complicated and messy and nothing good could come of getting involved with her. He didn't want complicated. Meredith had scarred him already. He didn't need anything else at the moment. But Meredith hadn't been complicated at all, had she? The little voice in his head reasoned. She had been easy and simple, and that was the problem wasn't it? Maybe complicated could be good.

No, he liked the sound of the freedom the west provided and he was beginning to see the drive everyone else has felt to flee the east for new beginnings. He liked the space and the slower pace. Maybe they could stay for a few weeks more, at least until winter started to set in. Maybe they could stay for the space, not for any other reason. Kate Beckett had no influence on his thinking at all. No, it was only about a break from city life and a chance for Alexis to see something new. The intriguingly complicated woman had nothing to do with it.

Alexis sat across from him with her hands cradled around a steaming mug of tea. She was wearing one of the prairie dresses that had been bestowed upon her by Beckett and was staring past him to a well-dressed couple at a table in the back. The simple dress was a far cry from the lacy outfits and piles of curled hair that usually adorned her and he could tell that Alexis was enjoying the freedom. He could hear her sucking in lungs full of air and sighing in contentment. The bonnet perched on her head covered her braids and made her look younger than her full fifteen years, but then again maybe this is how she was supposed to look, not fully grown in a corset.

The pair of them sitting in the café looked the part of the quintessential western family, which was clear when the clearly eastern couple Alexis had been watching walked by with no more than an indulgent smile at the young girl staring up at them. Rick stared at their retreating backs and smiled to himself. If he and Alexis had looked out of place when they had first come to town, it was nothing compared to these two.

They made their way out of the hotel a little while later; bellies round and happy from the large home-style meal Hannah, the cook, had imparted on them. She had proclaimed Alexis too be far too skinny for a growing girl and had piled on an extra helping of everything. Alexis for her part had happily gulped down the food, proclaiming it the best she had ever eaten and that she was so happy to be free of her eastern shackles.

They only made it a few feet down the road before they came across Ryan and Esposito standing side by side in front of the saloon in identical poses. The deputies were staring intently across the road with their weight resting on their left legs, causing their hips to jut out. They had their right hands up covering their chins with intense looks of concentration in their faces. Alexis giggled a little bit at the sight and Castle simply followed their line of vision to the sight of Beckett in a heated discussion with the well-dressed man from the café.

"This should be good. Doctor Boy is back," Ryan said as the pair approached, his eyes never wavering from the scene in front of him.

"Who is that?" Castle wondered back as he and Alexis paused next to their pair, adopting their own looks of concentration and wonder.

"Joshua Davidson- a physician from back east. He grew up with us, but just got up and left one day to move to Boston. He comes back out here every once in a while to help out on the reservation- make sure no one is sick, gives out free vaccinations, helps deliver babies et cetera et cetera."

"That doesn't sound too bad."

Ryan let out a disgruntled huff, "He likes to think that he is better than us now, like the nice clothes and his rich boy education washes away the fact that his parents are cobblers. Besides he keeps going on and on about these motorized carriages that run on little bursts of fuel or something. Makes it sound like the invention that will change the world. Sounds like a bunch of bull if you ask me."

Castle let out a knowing hum, he had heard of the concept before. In fact he had written an entire article on it, but the editors had said it sounded too much like science fiction to publish.

"So, why do you think this is going to be so interesting?"

"Because," Esposito chimed in suddenly, "The last time he and Beckett saw each other she didn't aim for his stomach."

All three men shifted uncomfortably and Castle let out a knowing hum, while Alexis giggled again softly.

"Plus," Ryan started again after they had been watching the pair for a moment. "He and Kate are married."

"He and Kate are what?" Castle looked at Ryan like the other man had grown another head as his daughter let out a small gasp beside him.

"Oh, yeah," Esposito piped up from Castle's other side, as if Ryan's words had just jogged his memory to that specific fact.

"But, how?"Castle could feel the flabbergasted look cross his face as he looked back to the pair now visibly arguing across the street. They were picture of opposition— one made of broken in leather and western charm, the other starched and pressed.

"Yes, sir. But that is a story you have to get from Beckett. It's not our place to tell you." Esposito patted Castle on the shoulder and turned back to the couple talking heatedly in front of them.

Castle stared at them for a few moments trying to wrap his head around the information he had just been given. Joshua Davidson was the picture of the quintessential Bostonian and Kate was, well, she was Kate. There was no other way to describe her. Castle tilted his head to the side. 'Maybe from this angle,' he thought.

"Well," Castle said when he could once again form words. "Do either of you know why he is here now?"

The boys stood there for a moment. Ryan put his hand on his chin thoughtfully and Esposito rocked back and forth on this heels.

"It could have something to do with that piece of paper," Ryan pointed at the paper that Kate was now waving through the air emphatically.

Esposito let out a thoughtful hum.

"Wow," Castle murmured as Ryan and Esposito went back to studying the arguing couple. "You two should have been detectives."

"It probably has something to do with the woman he was having breakfast with this morning," Alexis piped up, causing all three heads to swivel towards her. "They did look pretty cozy."

A moment later Kate turned on her heels and began to march back towards the edge of town. "Go home Josh. There is a storm fixing to role in and I wouldn't want you to be stuck out here in the backwoods for longer than necessary. It might force you to remember who you were and we wouldn't want that now, would we?"


	7. Chapter 7

The Western Way

A/N: Thank you all for your kind reviews, it truly is about quality over quantity. There are only a few of you reading this story but your feedback and passion you all are giving is awesome! In any case your kind words inspired me to finish this chapter extremely quickly, so yay! and hold onto your hats because this one is intense. As always, I love to hear what you think and reviews are love. :)

* * *

><p>Chapter 7<p>

Castle watched as she disappeared down the road, the three others watching silently beside him. Turning back he met eyes with Dr. Davidson and the other man tipped his hat in greeting. Castle simply stared at him, sizing him up. He was tall, taller than himself by a good couple of inches and he let off an air of dignity and superiority. Castle fleetingly wondered if he radiated that much arrogance also. He prayed not. Briefly, he considered feeling bad for the man; Kate Beckett's bad side was not a welcoming place to be, especially in this town, but decided against it as a thin blonde woman walked up.

Josh was smiling down at the woman as she threaded her arm through his, steering him towards the saloon. The pair stopped in front of them and Josh nodded towards the deputies.

"Kevin, Javier, it is so nice to see you. Kevin I heard you married Jenny. Congratulations."

Kevin simply nodded in reply as the rest of them stood awkwardly.

"Oh, I apologize," Josh continued, his tone as proper as his pressed pants and shined shoes. "This is Annabelle Du Bois, my fiancé. Annabelle, this is Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito. We grew up together."

He turned to look at Castle and Alexis as Annabelle dipped into a slight curtsey at Ryan and Esposito, feigned interest etched on her face. "I'm sorry, I do not believe we have been introduced, but aren't you staying at the hotel."

"Richard Castle," Castle replied, as he held out a hand for a firm handshake, squeezing the other man's hand a little too tightly as he nodded towards his daughter. "And this is my daughter Alexis. We are in from New York."

"Oh, yes, Mr. Castle. I have read your articles. So, what brings you all the way out here to our little town?"

Castle let out a small, unbelieving laugh and he dropped the other man's hand after one more competitive squeeze. "I was under the impression that you practically disowned Colorado Springs when you moved to Boston years ago, Dr. Davidson."

Josh narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the writer. "Well, Colorado will always hold a special place in my heart and I would hate to read something bad about it in the New York Times."

"Oh, don't worry about that, Doctor. I have nothing but great things to say about _your_ town. After all, I am writing a story about Sheriff Beckett, and only a fool would cross Kate, am I right?"

Josh sucked in a quick breath as Ryan, Javier and Alexis all worked to suppress their smiles. Annabelle, simply looked confused and turned to her fiancé for an explanation.

"Well, on that note, we must really be going." Josh replied quickly as he tipped his hat and backed towards the hotel. "It was a really a pleasure meeting you and seeing you gentlemen again. We must get together for dinner before we head back to Boston."

The quartet watched as the Bostonian couple turned towards the hotel and let out a collective sigh.

"Was that Josh?"

All four of them spun around at the new voice. They had been so intent on watching the duo that none of them had heard Lanie approach them from behind.

"Yes, ma'am," Javier replied, a small smirk playing on his lips. "And guess who came back into town with his shiny new fiancé."

"Oh, no. How did Kate take it? She does know, doesn't she?"

All four of them nodded slowly before Esposito and Ryan tag teamed the story of the scene they had just witnessed.

"Did someone go after her?" Lanie questioned, only to bring her fingers up to pinch the bridge of her nose as four heads shook before her.

"Castle. You go."

"Me? Why?" His voice came out in a squeak. He cleared his throat as he had the consideration to look slightly ashamed at his outburst.

"Trust me," Lanie replied, grabbing him by the arm and steering him down the road. "You're the one that needs to go talk to her. Don't worry, we will watch after Alexis."

Castle opened his mouth to form a reply, only to shut it again at Lanie's pointed glare.

* * *

><p>Castle's boot scuffed the earth gently as he made his way towards the Beckett homestead. He was worried about her, probably more than he should be for the amount of time that they had known each other, but he couldn't help it. Part of his brain was still trying to comprehend the fact that they woman he had been following around like a puppy dog for the last week was married. Castle huffed to himself, well there was married on a piece of paper and married 'til death do us part'. Judging by the information he had received in the last few minutes, he was guessing it was more a relationship of the former.<p>

Still he sighed to himself. How many other things did he not know about? Why did that really matter? He had more than enough interesting facts about Sheriff Beckett to make the fine people of New York and Boston faint on the spot. Technically he did not need to know anymore. He could turn around right now and head back to New York. He could tell Port everything he knew about Lockwood and his death and easily be named the best reporter in America tomorrow, but instead he kept on walking, his feet drawing him nearer and nearer to the broken woman sitting on the steps to her father's house.

He couldn't help it. It was as if this was where he was supposed to be and there was nowhere else he wanted to be instead. Kate Beckett didn't need his protection, but he wanted to give it anyway. She didn't need him to fight her battles or to shield her from the evils of the outside world. She could do that for herself, but he wanted to be there by her side as she did and he was beginning to accept that fact.

He could see her sitting hunched over on the steps, like she had been the first night they had met. The heel of her right foot was tapping mindlessly against the edge of the bottom step as she picked at a splinter in the wood. Her hair hung loose in her face and down her back. Castle couldn't help but think that she looked a little bit too thin and broken as she sat there. He had seen her angry and even in fleeting moments, a little bit scared, but he had never seen her broken before. It wasn't right. Kate Beckett was supposed to be strong, not brought down by some man.

"So," Castle started as he sat down on the step, paralleling that night only a week before. "That was quite the show earlier."

Kate took a slow drag on her cigarette and picked up the bottle of whiskey that had been resting by her bare feet— her boots standing perfectly together at the side of the steps. Throwing the cigarette on the dirt ground in front of her she watched the remaining paper burn away before lifting the bottle for a swig.

"Ryan and Esposito told you." Her voice was small but strong as she tilted her head to look at him.

Castle nodded as he looked down to where his boots were drawing patterns in the dirt. "They told me the two of you are married. They didn't tell me anything more."

Kate let out a low hum and turned to stare out into the morning sky. They sat there for a few moments, Kate taking the occasional sip from the bottle, seemingly ignoring the fact that she was on her way to getting downright drunk before noon. Castle was about to give up on her volunteering any information when he heard her voice, so low it was almost inaudible next to him.

"We were so young Castle." She started as a hand came up to push her hair up and out of her face to give herself a clear view of him. "We grew up together. He was part of our group- Kevin, Javi, Josh, Lanie and myself- we were practically inseparable. We got into so much trouble and had so much fun. We were thirteen the first time he kissed me and I guess you could say we courted for the next couple of years. My parents were ecstatic about it. Josh was from a good family; they came out here fresh off the boat with a dream. His parents weren't so thrilled but Josh was as bull headed as I was and we didn't want anything other than to be together."

Kate paused to take another swig from her bottle and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear— something Castle noticed she only did when she was nervous.

"My mother died in an influenza outbreak when I was fifteen and everything got bad for a while. My dad started drinking, heavily, and I just wanted to feel alive. For a while I just ran wild. I even jumped off of cliffs. I did every daredevil stunt I could think of and I got pregnant." Her voice trailed off as she stared out at the swaying trees.

"Josh, doing the right thing, asked for my hand. I think my dad thought it truly was a good idea. His parents were furious, but it was the proper thing to do, so we got married."

Castle looked over when she stopped talking and found her staring out into the empty prairie in front of them. A small tear rolled down her cheek and he sucked in a breath the feeling of dread growing in his stomach, as she let it fall into the dirt, making no move to wipe it away.

"The doctor said that she was dead before she was even born, but I had felt her move inside of me. She had been alive. After that, things fell apart, well more apart than they already were. I ran as far and as fast as I could. I went to the reservation. I am not proud to say that I hid, but I didn't know what to do. God, I was still a child, barely even sixteen. First my mother, and then my baby within a year of each other; I couldn't handle it and I broke.

"I stayed on the reservation for the better part of a year. I talked them into teaching me how to use a bow and arrow, hunt and throw a tomahawk. The things that make me a good sheriff now are what I learned back then when I was hiding from the world. I learned how to be quiet and how to wait for my prey. They taught me how to get my balance back. I was always welcome there and they held no judgment towards me. Once I returned to the town Josh was gone."

Castle sucked in a short breath as Kate shrugged her shoulders and curled herself over, laying her head on her knees so she was looking up at him. "He left a letter saying that he had been accepted to study medicine at Harvard and that he wasn't sure if he was coming back. That was pretty much the last I heard from him until today when he marched up to me and announced he needed a divorce because he wanted to get married."

"Well," she amended, a small smile playing on her lips. "Except for that one time he came to visit his parent a few years ago."

"I heard."

Kate let out a snort, which may have been mistaken for a laugh, and drew her bottom lip in between her teeth.

"Sometimes I'm not even sure if he remembers her, Castle. She was his baby, too."

She stared up at him for a long moment, studying his face, before her voice came out in a whisper. "Why am I telling you all of this, Castle?"

Castle couldn't tear his eyes away from the woman beside him and his he felt his hand reaching out before his brain could comprehend what was happening. He drew his thumb slowly over her cheek, wiping away the remnants of the tears that had left a trail there moments before.

"I don't know," he whispered back, as if his words were a secret from the animals and trees that surrounded them. "But I am so glad you did."

She let out a small smile and squinted. "Is it too late to say that this is off the record?"

Castle's mouth quirked into a smile as his thumb continued to brush her cheek. "No need, it was never on the record to begin with."

They continued to sit there for long minutes, lost in an unspoken conversation, before he felt her head nuzzle slightly into his palm. "That doctor was a fool to let you go."

"You always know what to say, don't you?" She murmured.

"Not always," he said. "I'm pretty sure I said a couple things wrong in the beginning. Unless you punch everyone you first meet."

Kate's face broke in to the first full smile he had seen in days and she let out a short laugh. "I should probably apologize for that shouldn't I?"

"Eh, it's alright. I wear my bruise like a badge of honor. I fought the law and the law won."

Kate laughed again, her head thrown back, hair cascading down around her. Castle couldn't help but think that no one had looked as beautiful as she had in that moment, sitting there laughing barefoot covered in Colorado dust, her face red and puffy from crying. Before he knew what was happening, he felt his hand draw back to her cheek and she stopped laughing as her eyes met his again.

The gaze they held was intense, energy buzzing off of them and into the crisp fall air. Castle felt himself draw closer to her and her pulse quicken against his hand rested gently against her neck.

"Sheriff!"

The pair jumped apart as a man, neither of them had noticed, galloped towards them on horse.

"We got a problem," he announced as soon as he way close enough. "We just heard from the reservation. There's trouble."


	8. Chapter 8

The Western Way

A/N: To all of you in the US, Happy Thanksgiving! To the rest of you... Happy November 24th! I hope you all have an awesome day and since the smell of turkey and stuffing woke me up and got my tummy grumbling way to early this morning, I though I would present you with another chapter. yay! Thank you all who are reading, reviewing, favoriting, altering and just overall enjoying this story. I am getting new readers every day and I just want to say welcome and I am glad you are liking it! I have said it before, but it really is fun to write. :)

As always, reviews are love so let me know what you think, good or bad. Now, on with the story! :)

* * *

><p>Chapter 8<p>

Castle literally watched the mask drop back into place as Kate took in the information. Members of the tribe were starting to fall ill. The young Cherokee had blamed the army and attacked in the middle of the night. Now the army was converging on the reservation. Kate had been right; it was going to be a blood bath.

"I have to get out there," Kate yelled over her shoulder as she bolted for her small house, to gather up the meager belongings she needed.

"I'm coming with you," Castle stated as he followed her up the steps. He took in the small room as she whirled around, stuffing things into a leather bag, grabbing a bow and arrow out of the corner and a bag of bullets. His eyes swept over the bookcase briefly, making mental note of the tower of novels and some of the titles before swinging them back to her. _Interesting_. So many layers to the Beckett onion; he never would have pegged her for a reader.

"Like hell you are."

"Look, Kate, you may not think that a writer can be of much help in a war but I have interviewed enough of these army types to know how they think. Maybe I can talk some sense into them."

Kate considered him for a long moment. "Okay, fine, but please try not to do anything too stupid."

Castle briefly considered making a smart comment but held his tongue. This was not the time.

"I promise."

* * *

><p>"Espo!" Kate yelled as they rode side by side into town and the deputy came into sight. "There's trouble on the reservation. Tell Ryan and Montgomery that they have to look after the town on their own for a couple of days. You're coming with men and go get Josh. We're going to need a doctor."<p>

Castle looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, but she ignored him. This was no time to be holding grudges or to take personal feelings into account. People were dying and they needed all the help they could get.

"Father, what's going on?"

Castle turned his attention away from the pair when his daughter approached.

"There is trouble out at the reservation. I am going to go with Sheriff Beckett to help."

Alexis looked up at him. "I'm coming with you."

"Alexis…"

Alexis looked over to Kate who had turned towards them as Javier had hurried off to find the others.

"I'm coming. I could help as a nurse or something."

Kate's eyes flickered between the young lady standing, determined, in front of them and her father. "This isn't going to be pretty, Alexis. People are sick and people are dying. Once we are out there you won't be able to get back to town for some time."

Alexis simply looked back at her, the same steel in Kate's eyes mirrored back and Kate sighed. "But if you think you can handle it and you're father doesn't object you can come."

Rick's eyes grew as both women turned towards him. They were going to be the death of him. "Fine."

Alexis's face broke into a grin and she called that she would be right back as she hurried towards the hotel.

Rick sighed, using his thumb and forefinger to rub his forehead. Kate leaned over to pat him on the knee. "She's a good kid, Castle. She's strong. You got lucky. If my girl had lived, I could only hope she'd be like Alexis."

"Yes," Castle agreed after a moment, looking over at her. "I got very lucky."

* * *

><p>Alexis raced up the stairs of the hotel to the penthouse, flying by James Porter on the way.<p>

"Alexis? Where are you going in such a hurry?" He questioned as the flash of red raced past him.

Alexis slowed momentarily to deliver the information before taking off again towards her room. "There's trouble at the reservation, Mr. Porter. My father and Sheriff Beckett are headed out there. I am going along to help."

Without any parting words she fled down the hall and burst through the door of their suite. Falling to her knees on the floor she flung the top of her wooden trunk open and dug around until she found the clothing hidden at the bottom. Making short work of stripping out of her dress and bonnet she stuffed the floral garment into a bag before donning the pants and shirt she had retrieved. She worked her way around the suite methodically, gathering any belongings she and her father might need, wiggling to adjust to the feel of the new clothing as she went. The pants were strangely binding and freeing at the same time. She could definitely see why the Sheriff preferred them. As quickly as she had come into the suite she flew out of it again, letting out a small sigh of relief that Rebecca hadn't yet come back from her errands.

Alexis let out a puff of air as she ran back down the stairs and past James Porter once again. She was a society girl, and society girls didn't run, her body wasn't used to this. Even though, gasping for air because she was running was much better than gasping for air because walking in a corset took too much energy. Maybe she would learn to like the west after all.

"Alexis! Wait up, I am coming along," Port called as the girl raced by him once again.

Port looked her over as she slowed to allow him to catch up to her. "What are you wearing?"

Alexis looked down and grinned at her clothing. "The sheriff gave them to me. I figured they would be better than the dress for the work that we will be doing."

"Sheriff Beckett gave you those?" Port asked baffled. "But why would he give you men's clothing?"

"Yes, sir!" Alexis answered cheerfully and bit her lip to keep herself from giggling at the "he" comment as they approached the rest of the group. Kate was right; it was great to fool the boys.

* * *

><p>"No! She's not coming," Kate proclaimed as Alexis and Port drew near the group.<p>

"Kate," Josh retorted as he held a hand out to Annabelle. "She helps me out in the office all of the time. Don't worry, we can take care of ourselves."

Kate let out a huff and glared back at him. "It's dangerous out there. Do either of you even know how to use a gun? There are no beds, no outhouses and you will have to bathe in the stream, if we have time to bathe at all. Food will be scarce and we will have limited access to the town and half the time we will be in the crosshairs. Are you really prepared for that?"

"What's going on?" Alexis questioned quietly, trying to catch up to the conversation.

The entire group looked over at the girl and Esposito let out a small chuckle causing Alexis to blush. "Check out mini Kate."

Josh blanched slightly at the statement as Kate's face morphed into a sad smile and she ducked her head. Port looked between the two women, confused.

"If the kid is coming then I am definitely coming as well," Annabelle announced and all the eyes shifted back to her.

Kate let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine, but I am not taking any responsibility for protecting you."

"Fine." Annabelle nodded in agreement.

Port raised a hand cautiously as he looked around the group before focusing on Kate. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

Kate stared back at Port, her eyebrows lifted towards her hairline, "I'm the sheriff, who the hell are you?"

Rick opened his mouth to speak but Port's laugh cut him off and he groaned. Not again.

"You're the sheriff? But you're a woman!"

Rick groaned again and hung his head before looking up at Beckett. He could see her nose flare and her jaw clench.

"Kate, the is James Porter, my boss. I meant to tell you he was had arrived in town. Port, meet Kate Beckett, sheriff of Colorado Springs," Rick introduced quietly.

Kate gave the man a tight-lipped smile from her perch on her horse, before turning away from him and smiling down at Alexis. Even though she refrained from speaking Castle could see her dislike of the other man. For some reason Rick had been given a free pass for his flub upon his arrival. He had the feeling Port wouldn't be bestowed the same luxury.

"Josh, Annabelle, Mr. Porter, you all take the buggy with the supplies. Espo, Castle and I have the horses. Alexis, you can ride with me."

Rick looked at her questioningly. Kate sighed and tilted her head back towards him answering his unasked question. "I'm a better rider and Whisper is a bigger horse. It will be easier for the two of us to fit."

Castle studied her for a moment before giving a slight not and Kate held her hand down to Alexis, pulling the girl up to sit in front of her. He watched them as the group began to head out of town. Kate was talking in a low voice, explaining things to Alexis. He saw her hand over the reigns and talk Alexis through how to control the horse. Whisper let out a small snort and Kate simply put a calming hand to the horse's mane. Rick looked around at the others and caught Josh glancing over at Kate and his daughter. He could have sworn he saw a flash of regret in the other man's eyes, but his attention was drawn away by the sound of his daughter's laughter. He looked back over to see Kate smiling and shaking her head as she used her arm to keep Alexis from falling off of the horse in her fit of giggles. The pair of them looked over at him and both burst into laughter again.

Suddenly, he wasn't sure if he really wanted to know what was so funny.

* * *

><p>The group grew quiet as they approached the reservation and Kate let out a small gasp. The air was heavy with smoke and smoldering fires could be seen all though out the village. Piles of ash laid where teepees used to stand and the still bodies of men, women and children littered the ground. Before Castle could comprehend what was happening, Kate had jumped down from her horse and was running through the damaged land.<p>

"Little Bear!" She cried as she dropped to her knees in front of the body of an older man and gasped in relief as a hand came up to her face. "Little Bear, what happened?"

"Hello Fearless One," Little Bear whispered up to her as he drew in a ragged breath. "The young ones became restless as some of the women and children began to fall ill. They blamed the army and they attacked in the night. The army retaliated and burned the village. I'm afraid we are not going to recover this time."

Kate let go of Little Bear's hand as Josh came over to attend to him. Looking back over her shoulder the tears began to sting at her eyes as she took in the demolished village and the sounds of children crying filled her ears. The grey smoke curled through the air and filtered into her lungs, burning at her throat as she forced her breaths. The others stared back at her as they faced, in living color, devastation like they had only seen glorified in paintings and prose. She shook her head, took in a deep breath and headed towards the group. Now was not the time for emotion, now was the time to take action and save as many lives as possible. She spewed out orders and paused as everyone nodded and sprung into action. She pulled her bow and quiver of arrows out of the wagon, secured them over her shoulder and double-checked her revolver before swinging herself back up onto her horse.

"Wait," Castle yelled as she turned Whisper away from the village. "Where are you going?"

As she looked back towards him the storm brewing in her eyes told him all he needed to know and he hauled himself back up onto his horse. With a slight nod she took off at a gallop and he followed quickly after her, silently steeling himself for whatever lie ahead. It was time to see a man about an army.


	9. Chapter 9

The Western Way

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or any of its characters, I just like to put them in cowboy boots and take them out to play every once in a while. :)

A/N: Um, let's see. You all are rockstar awesomesauce and reviews are love! :)

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 9<span>

The ride to the army camp was silent. The horses' hooves clomped quietly on the ground and their soft snuffling melded with the whistling of the wind through the trees. Castle could sense the tension rolling off of Kate's shoulders and he couldn't help but wonder how much more it would take for her to break.

They neared the edge of the camp and the military men could be seen sitting around the scattered fires cleaning out their muskets and sharpening their blades. It was a small battalion, but it was definitely big enough to cause some damage; as was witnessed by the near complete destruction of the Cherokee reservation. Castle drew in a deep breath as Beckett paused just outside the edge of the camp. He could tell she was nervous. It was not something that happened often, but she drew her lower lip in between her teeth. It wasn't a showing of weakness or hesitation, as many would assume. Instead she was preparing herself, taking deep breaths and steeling herself for the upcoming battle. And make no mistake; it was going to be a battle; one that Castle didn't think would end well. No, it was more than a thought; he had the sinking feeling in his gut that this would not end well at all.

"Kate," he called as she motioned Whisper forward again, causing her to pause and look back at him. He was startled momentarily. She was angry and she was scared.

"What is it Castle?" The impatience in her voice was almost strong enough to cover the worry.

Almost.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? What's the plan?"

"The plan? The plan is we go in there and either Bryant backs down, offers aid, agrees to leave the Cherokee alone and skitters back to Washington with his tail between his scrawny little legs or I shoot him."

Castle opened his mouth to respond but found that his words momentarily failed him. He was going to ask if she were kidding about shooting him, but something told him that he really didn't want to know the answer.

Castle's horse, Bandit, clomped after Becket and Whisper into the camp. Rick had rolled his eyes the first time that he had heard the horse's name. It was so cliché. Since he had come to realize that as unoriginal as it was, it was a very apt description of the horse's nature. Bandit had a habit of sneaking into pockets, other horse's stalls and any other space he could fit his big wet nose into and steal whatever was there. Castle's billfold had already been lifted twice by the animal. When he had complained to Beckett about his "loaner" horse she had simply laughed and given Bandit a carrot and a pat on the head. The sly wink she had thrown over her shoulder told Rick that she had been the one to teach the steed that particular trick. Castle shook his head and smirked at memory. The woman definitely had layers. Montgomery had once likened her to an onion and Castle had to admit that it was a fitting description. He was willing to dig a little bit deeper, peel back the layers, but she would fight him tooth and nail and he would probably end up crying in the process.

Castle smiled again before snapping back into the present. She was definitely worth it, and even if that meant wandering into the camp to take them two against, well, against an army. He was ready to go into a battle of words and bullets. He was willing to do it for her.

"Ethan!" Kate bellowed, still perched on top of Whisper, as she waited outside of the tent in the center of the camp. She was forcing him to come out to meet her. She's be damned if she was going to go to him. They may be in the army's camp, but they were on her land.

Castle glanced around as the flap to the tent flipped open and a man wearing lieutenant's stripes came wandering out. He wasn't a very large man- standing maybe a couple of inches taller than Beckett, but Castle could tell he was pure muscle under his uniform. His shaggy but well groomed brown hair and mustache told Castle that he took care of himself well. He had confidence about himself that could border on overconfidence. That confidence meant trouble for the Cherokee. Men were starting to rise from the benches surrounding the fires, muskets drawn. Castle gulped slightly as the men walking lazily towards them slowly surrounded him and Beckett. He spared a glance at Kate. She noticed them too, but she never took her eyes off of the lieutenant.

"Well, hello Kate. Beautiful day isn't it? How are you?" Lieutenant Ethan Bryant crossed his arms over his chest as he rocked back on his heels. The smug look on his face had Castle fuming and Beckett down off of her horse in a second.

"What did you do?" Kate questioned as she stalked towards the other man.

Bryant looked at her, seemingly not at all fazed by the venom in her voice. "Now, Katie, you're a smart girl. I'm sure you could figure it out on your own."

Castle blanched at the other man's condescending tone and swung off of his horse in time to catch Kate as she wound up to take a swing at the lieutenant. He gripped her in a bear hug effectively dragging her a couple of steps back. She growled in protest but Castle could deal with an angry Beckett later— it was the better alternative to having to deal with an arrested or dead Beckett for assaulting a military officer.

Rick turned back to Lieutenant Bryant as soon as he felt comfortable letting Kate out of his grasp; confident she wasn't going to attack again. He could feel the anger radiating off of her, but he ignored her creased forehead and clenched fists. It was time to try things his way.

"Can we all just sit down and talk about this?"

"Who the hell are you?"

Castle turned towards Ethan and extended his hand cordially. "Richard Castle, reporter for the New York Times and a friend of Sheriff Beckett's."

Castle put an emphasis on the ending of his statement. He may have to be friendly towards the other man, but that didn't mean he couldn't make it clear who's side he was on.

The lieutenant let out a huff and a sarcastic "friend" and Castle began to fume, catching Kate as she lunged at the man once again. He was beginning to see why she despised the other man so much.

"Yes, a friend. And as a friend to the sheriff, the Cherokee and to the military I would like to work out an agreement that benefits everyone," Rick fell silent for a moment and glanced between Beckett and Bryant, then to the circle of military men surrounding them. "Or, I can just let the sheriff shoot you like she wants. Your choice."

Lieutenant Bryant stared at Castle for a long moment, his eyes cutting between him and the irate sheriff behind him, debating his choices. He had no doubt that Castle wasn't kidding about Beckett shooting him, especially after he had watched one of his men stick a bayonet in Little Bear's gut.

"Fine. Let's talk in my tent." Bryant relented, holding out palm to stop his men from advancing on his guests.

Bryant turned and entered the tent first when Beckett stepped in front of Castle and stopped silently telling the reporter not to turn his back on Bryant. He had to smirk at the thought. Smart girl, he wouldn't have turned his back on himself either.

"So, what would you like to talk about?" Bryant asked as he leaned back in his chair once he and Castle were settled around the table in the middle of his tent. There was a drawing board set up in the middle and the tips of Kate's ears turned red in anger as she took in the pieces scattered around the roughly drawn map.

Castle looked over a Beckett and their eyes locked in a silent conversation. He sighed softly and with a quirk of one eyebrow, she agreed to stay silent, pacing in the corner.

"Firstly," Castle began. "Why did you attack the reservation?"

Bryant shrugged in his chair. "They attacked us first."

Beckett lunged forward from the corner, her hands slapping down on the table causing the small pieces to jump in place. "There are women and children dead over there you son of a bitch."

Bryant didn't even flinch at the outburst and he never turned his gaze from Castle face to acknowledge that Kate was even in the room, let alone said something, as Rick put a calming hand to her strained arm. "A savage is a savage, and anyone who would help them is just as bad."

Castle felt his throat close as he looked at the other man, watching smug entitlement roll off of him in waves. There was something hidden behind the other man's words, behind his smug grin and relaxed posture. There was something they were missing. He struggled to stifle the feeling of nausea that was quickly overpowering him and his hand closed around Kate's arm to pull her back as he stood from the table. They had to get back to the reservation. Now.

"Let's go."

"Castle?"

Rick turned, his eyes locking them with hers and her eyes widened as she put the pieces together, turning to bolt towards the door.

Bryant didn't move from his chair, bringing his glass of whiskey to his lips lazily. "Where are you going? I thought you wanted to talk?"

Castle glanced back at Bryant one more time before they both took off in a run towards the horses. The men were standing in the same places they had been when the trio had entered the tent but made no move to approach them as they mounted Whisper and Bandit. The soldiers simply wore slight grins as they parted for Beckett and Castle to ride back out of the camp.

Somehow they made it back to the reservation in half the time and Kate called out for Esposito as they neared the wagon and horses, pulling Whisper in a circle to look around them. Dead and injured bodies lay scattered around them but the others were nowhere to be found. Rick felt his chest tighten as he called out for his daughter and the others. His breath started to get shallow and tears of panic ran down his face.

Kate called out again as she dismounted her horse and paused as she heard a soft whimper coming from inside one of the half burned teepees. Racing over she peered through the side to see the scared faces of James Porter, Annabelle Du Bois, and a couple Cherokee children staring back up at her.

"What happened? Where are the others?" She questioned as she offered a hand to help them up and Castle ran towards them.

"Where are they? Where is Alexis?"

Porter looked up at his friend, grief and fear sketched on his face. "They took them. Deputy Esposito and Dr. Davidson tried to fight them off, but they were too strong and one put a knife to Alexis's throat. We had been in the tent tending to the little ones and we ducked. We should have helped fight but it was too late. It happened so fast. They knocked the deputy and doctor out and piled them into the wagon pushing Alexis in behind them. They headed north, away from the army camp. That is all we saw."

Beckett looked around as Castle bent his head between his legs gasping for breath. His daughter had been kidnapped.

"Kate. We have to go get them," Castle stated when Kate made no move towards her horse.

"I know."

"Now! We have to go now. My daughter is out there. _My daughter."_

"I know, Castle."

He watched, his hands gripping at his hair, while she continued to look around her.

"Why are you taking so long? My _daughter _has been kidnapped. Don't you care?"

She turned to him, a fire burning in her eyes. "Do I care? Javi is my best friend, the closest thing that I have to a brother, and Josh— whether I like him at the moment or not— is my husband and the father of my child. Of course, I care. I care about Alexis, too, but we can't just go running after them. We need a plan or we will all get killed. So give me a minute, okay?"

Castle watched, stunned, as Kate turned to lean her arms against the wagon. He could see her body shake as her anger and frustration turned towards tears. He stood next to Porter and Annabelle; arms limp at his sides, watching as she fought not to break. She lifted her head back up and wiped a sleeved arm across her eyes and placed her hat back on her head. He watched as she slowly took inventory of the supplies in the wagon and of the walking wounded Cherokee who were slowly sitting up and standing across the reservation. He watched as her head turned towards him again and something clicked in her eyes. He watched as a slow smile crossed her face.

"I know what we have to do."


	10. Chapter 10

The Western Way 

A/N: I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update this story. Don't worry, I will finish this one- I have it all planned out. There are a few more chapters to go and I even have the last chapter written already. woo! Anyway, here we are picking up with Sheriff Beckett's plan to save Espo, Josh and Alexis. I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think! Remember, reviews are love! :)

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 10<span>

Kate crouched low in the tree line, the brush rustling around her, keeping her on edge. Her eyes never wavered from the camp as she waited for the duo to make it past the perimeter guards and safely past inspection. It was a good plan, a solid plan, but Kate still held her breath and kept a her hand wrapped firmly around Castle's forearm as he crouched silently beside her. She allowed her eyes to drift to him for a second while they waited. He was quiet. In fact, he had been quiet since she had laid out her plan earlier. Richard Castle was never quiet. She had put up with him following her around for days on end and in the rare moments that his mouth had shut up, he would be tapping something or touching things. He was never still and never quiet, until now. Kate's grip loosened on his arm momentarily and she awarded him a kind smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes but that let him know that she understood.

"It's going to be okay," She stated, her voice coming out low and comforting. "We will get her back. I promise."

He glanced over at her, out of the corner of his eye and let out a low hum of acknowledgement; his attention still on the performance going on before them.

"_You want me to do what?" Annabelle squeaked, her mouth hanging open as she pushed a clump of disheveled blonde hair behind her ear. _

_Kate sighed. "Look, we have to get into that camp and they already know what Castle and I look like so it has to be you two. The easiest way is to pose as a prostitute. Trust me. No one will think twice about a working girl going into the army camp and chances are they won't remember your face."_

_Castle slid his eyes over to look at the sheriff, but smartly, kept his mouth shut at the comment. _

_Kate looked around at the three individuals standing around her. They all had a stake in this plan. They all had something to lose if it went wrong. She briefly closed her eyes and prayed that it would work out. Her plans almost always worked… almost… No, it wasn't time to think about that now. Now, they had to get Josh, Alexis and Javi back alive and unharmed. _

"_Once inside the tent. Annabelle you distract Bryant while Port uses the chloroform to knock him out. Once it gets dark Castle and I will slip in the back and help you get him out. From there it will be easy; we follow the trail from the reservation, find the kidnapper's camp and trade Bryant for our people. Everyone understand? Any comments? No? Good. Come on," she continued, pulling out a knife as she motioned for Annabelle to follow her over to the wagon. "We have to do something about that dress if you want to be convincing."_

Beckett looked down to see Castle's hand held out expectantly in front of her.

"What?"

"Give me one of your guns," Castle said, wiggling his fingers at her.

"No. I am not giving you a gun," Kate replied emphatically, shaking her head in emphasis.

"Come on. We have no idea what is going to happen here. Plus, you have a bow and arrows, at least two knives and from what I can see, two revolvers and a riffle. I think you can spare one," he reasoned.

Kate pursed her lips for a moment before sighing and taking one of her guns and its holster off of her belt. "Fine, but if you shoot anything that is not supposed to be shot, I will kill you. And it's three, I have three knives."

Castle shot her a look. "Where is the third one?"

She smirked, not taking her eyes off of the camp. "Don't ask."

They watched as Annabelle charmed the guards and Port took her by the arm, practically dragging her past them and towards the Lieutenant's tent. Kate had to give it to them; they weren't bad actors. She drew in a breath and heard Castle do the same as Bryant stepped out of the tent and give Annabelle a once over. Port was saying something that Bryant was paying half attention to, and Annabelle only shifted uncomfortably once under the man's gaze. Good girl. He wouldn't believe it if she looked uncomfortable. Bryant's eyes ran over Annabelle's body once more before giving a curt nod and whipping back through the flap to his tent as Porter and Annabelle followed. They were in.

Rick and Kate turned around and rested their backs against the, conveniently located, fallen tree trunk they had been kneeling behind. Kate pulled out one of her knives and picked a chunk of wood off of the ground and started to whittle away at it.

Castle looked over at her and picked at a blade of grass, plucking it from the ground and twisting it between his fingers. "Now what?"

Kate glanced up at the soon to be setting sun before returning her attention to the woodwork. "Now we wait."

Castle nodded absently and continued to twist the grass in his fingers until it turned into green pulp and he wiped the remnants on his pants leg before plucking a new blade from the earth. He glanced at the woman sitting to his right as he twisted this one, tying it into a series of knots. He had already had his breakdown over Alexis and with this new plan and the knowledge that Javier and Josh wouldn't let anything happen to her, he felt like he was handling the situation quite well. Kate on the other hand, hadn't said two words that weren't related to the current situation since she had laid it out for them at the camp. She hadn't made eye contact and even the one sly joke he had managed to pull out of her was half hearted.

"How are you doing?" He asked quietly.

"Fine." The answer was barely audible and Castle snorted in response. Bullshit.

"Bullshit."

Kate's head shot up and her eyes finally met his. "Excuse me?"

"You are not "fine". No one would be _fine_ in this situation and, like it or not, you are just as human the rest of us. So, I ask again, how are you doing?"

Kate seethed for a moment before answering. "Fine, all right. You want to know how I am? I am emotionally drained. It is taking everything in me to stay standing at this moment and not curled up in a corner somewhere with a bottle of whiskey. And I am pissed off. I am pissed off at you for coming here in the first place and dredging up all of this emotional crap I have been doing a pretty good job at keeping at bay. I am pissed off at Josh for asking for having the audacity to waltz back here flaunting his perfect new fiancé and serving me with divorce papers in the middle of town for everyone to see. I am pissed off at myself for allowing Alexis for coming out here and I am pissed off at Bryant for being a complete asshole. Lastly, I am pissed at Little Bear for allowing it to get this far to begin with. You happy now?"

Castle's eyes had widened continuously during her rant. "Well, no, actually, I am not happy but I am glad you told me that. It's not good to keep all of that inside. Do you feel better?"

Kate sighed and sent him another waning glare before her shoulders slumped and she hands went to work again, whittling the chunk of wood into a small figurine.

"Yes," she relented.

Castle watched her for a moment before placing a hand over hers, effectively stilling her work. "None of this is your fault, you know."

Kate sat still for a moment, staring at the small figure in her hands. "It's not yours either."

Green eyes met blue as they sat in the setting sun and Castle's hand raised to cup her cheek, rubbing his thumb over her soft, dirt and sweat covered skin. It seemed like the common setting for them to have intimate, heartfelt conversations: the pinks and oranges hues of the twilight sky. The silent conversation they exchanged was a gentle one, one of comfort and promise; one that neither of them really understood yet.

"We should get going." Kate whispered, her voice rough as his thumb brushed gently over her lips. "It will be dark soon and we have three people to save."

Castle dropped his hand to his lap as he nodded in agreement.

"Hey," Kate said, reaching out to grab his hand in hers. "We will get her back. I promise."

"You can't know that."

"Yes, I can and we will."

The conviction in her voice stunned him into silence as she squeezed his hand in emphasis.

"Okay," he nodded his head as he squeezed her hand back. "Let's go kidnap a military officer."

* * *

><p>Castle paused as he heard a twig snap under his foot and sent an apologetic look at the death glare he received from Kate. Both of them held their breath for a moment, waiting to hear if someone heard them. The men around the nearest fire let out a round of raucous laughter and both of them breathed out in relief. The tent was quiet when they slid through a flap Port had loosened in the back and they came face to face with Bryant passed out on the bed, and Annabelle sitting, looking bored, in the corner.<p>

"Did everything go as planned?" Kate asked as Castle bent over the Lieutenant, making sure he was still breathing.

"Except for officer debonair here getting a little bit grabby, it all went perfectly to plan," Annabelle replied, pushing herself out of the chair and straightening what was left of her dress. Kate had cut away a good amount of it back at the reservation. Castle looked up from his position by the bed and shrugged off his jacket, handing it to the blonde woman who took it with a grateful smile. Kate rolled her eyes as Annabelle blushed over the reporter and shrugged into the jacket.

"All right, lets get out of here. Castle— strip down, Port— find the wheelbarrow and Annabelle— keep lookout."

Kate started working on Bryant's clothing, ignoring the fact that Castle was gaping at her as she stripped the Lieutenant, handing the pieces to the other man as they came loose. "Come on Castle, we don't have all day. Someone is going to get suspicious and come looking for him eventually. Trust me, he would never last this long with a prostitute."

Castle snapped out of his daze and began working on his shirt as Annabelle peeked out of the tent flap. "Again, do I want to know how you know all of this?"

Kate paused for a moment from shimmying the pants down Bryant's legs, to look up at him before shrugging a shoulder and shaking her head. "No, probably not."

Castle let out a low chuckle as he pulled the Lieutenant's shirt over his head and caught the pants that came flying suddenly at his face. "So many layers to the Beckett onion. How will I peel them all away?"

Kate rolled her eyes once again. "Shut up and get dressed."

* * *

><p>Getting out of the camp was a lot more difficult than getting in as Kate pushed the wheelbarrow out the back flap of the tent. The plan was simple, if more tedious: Port and Annabelle would leave the way they came and Castle would pose as the Lieutenant seeing them off. In the darkness the resemblance was close enough to fool some of the more drunken soldiers. Annabelle would then distract the men at the closest fire until Kate, Castle and the wheelbarrow carrying Bryant were clear, and then Port would pull her away. Simple.<p>

Kate peered around the edge of the tent, watching while Annabelle played the part flawlessly. She heard someone approaching and turned, expecting to see Rick coming up behind her only to feel the cold metal of a revolver pressed against the back of her head.

"Well, well, well. Sheriff Beckett. What are you doing here?"

Kate sighed as she closed her eyes. From the slur in the soldier's voice, it was clear that the man was drunk, but that didn't help the fact that he had a gun pressed to her skull.

"You know," he continued, before Kate even said a word to answer. "Bryant isn't too happy with you. That's why he attacked the camp and that's why he ordered your people taken. You have been a thorn in his side since he got here and to make matters even worse you killed one of his best friends."

The man paused and giggled as Kate's body went rigid. _What?_ "Who?"

"Lockwood, my fine sheriff. Bryant sent him to kill you— get you out of the way so you wouldn't interfere with the "negotiations" going on at the reservation and you killed him first. That's why Bryant had me kill Little Bear. He watched me as I sunk a knife into your Cherokee friend's gut."

Kate saw red as her hands came up off of the handles of the wheelbarrow and curled into fists at her sides. She let her body go limp as she moved to turn around swinging, only to have her movements cut short as she heard a shuffle behind her and the soldier's body fell to the ground in a heap. Turning her head she came face to face with a panting Richard Castle, holding the barrel of the revolver she had given him. The handle was covered with blood from where he had pistol-whipped other man.

"Thanks." She nodded, breathless as their eyes met.

"Anytime." He shrugged back.

Kate paused. "How much of that did you hear?"

Castle's eyes darkened for a moment. "Later."

Kate nodded as he made his way around her and picked up the handles to the cart carrying Lieutenant Bryant's limp body. Later. Now, they had friends to save.


	11. Chapter 11

The Western Way

A/N: Yet another chapter. What can I say, I am making up for lost time. :)

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 11<span>

Alexis brought her wrists up to her mouth and started to chew on the knot— trying to loosen the strands cutting into her wrists, making her skin chapped and raw. Her eyes scanned over the two men lying unconscious in front of her. She nudged Javier's shin softly with her bound feet and smiled when he groaned in response. At least he wasn't dead.

"Deputy Esposito? Dr. Davidson? Can you hear me?"

Both men groaned and Alexis scooted herself a couple more inches towards them so she could bend over and pat their shoulders with her joined hands. "Wake up. You have to wake up!"

Alexis smiled in relief as Josh's eyes flickered open and he blinked up at the canvas ceiling of the wagon. "What happened?"

"A bunch of men attacked us at the reservation. I tried to fight, I really did but they were too strong and I couldn't get the knife Sheriff Beckett gave me out of the holder. They hit both of you and dragged us all in here. He had a knife to my throat and said that they would kill you both of I didn't cooperate while they tied me up. They had someone in the back with us until we stopped. I don't even know where we are. It has been hours."

Josh shushed the scared girl as he brought his bound hands up to rub his forehead. "It is going to be all right. We will get out of this."

"Oh mi cabeza," Javier moaned as he slowly made his way back to consciousness. "¿Qué pasó? What happened?"

"The soldiers attacked us Javi. They took you, me and Castle's kid," Josh summarized for him.

"Alexis?" Javier's head popped up as he tried to look at the girl. "Are you all right?"

Alexis let out a small smile at the deputy's concern. "I'm fine Deputy Esposito. I've just been trying to get out of these ropes so I can get to my knife."

"Knife?" It was Josh's turn to sit up. Suddenly interested in what the girl had to say. "The soldiers didn't take it from you?"

"No," Alexis shook her head slowly as she bit on the ropes once again and attempted to scoot around in a circle. "Sheriff Beckett showed me how to keep it on my back and cover it with my shirt. The soldiers didn't even know I had it on me. The only problem was that it got caught in the holster and I couldn't get it free."

Alexis's back was to the boys now and Javier scooted closer to lift the back of her shirt. The knife was strapped to the small of her back, handle down, by two straps of leather tied around her waist. "Smart girl," he murmured as he worked with strips of leather, acting as a latch, free.

Josh watched as Esposito cut the ropes binding Alexis's hands and feet and then as she returned the favor.

"You remind her of Sarah, our daughter, you know. That's why she likes you so much," Josh murmured, only loud enough for her to hear as she leaned over to cut away his ropes. "You shouldn't idolize Katherine Beckett so much. She's a dangerous person to know. She will only end up breaking your heart."

Alexis paused her work on his wrists and looked up at him, staring him straight in the eye. "I don't think you know Sheriff Beckett as well as you think you do."

Josh shut his mouth as Alexis went back to sawing away at the thick ropes. She let out the deep breath she had sucked into her lungs and shook her head slightly, trying to shake the lingering doubt that the doctor's words had put into her thoughts. As the final ropes fell away, all three heads turned towards the back of the wagon when someone shouted outside and Alexis slid the knife back into its holster. Suddenly the flap flew open and one of the soldiers reached in to pull Alexis out.

"Let me go!" She shouted as he wrapped an arm around her, holding a knife to her neck and she was brought face to face with the image of Kate Beckett mirroring their pose: her arm wrapped around Bryant's neck with a knife at his throat. The Lieutenant was sporting far more bruises than he had a few hours prior.

"So here is how we are going to do this," Kate reasoned, as Castle, Porter and Annabelle stood behind her. Castle's gun trained on one of the soldiers. "You are going to give me my people and I will give yours- even though I am pretty sure I will be getting the better end of the deal."

They stood in a face off for long minutes. As the solider holding Alexis began to shift in place, Alexis slowly flexed her fingers as they twitched slowly closer to the knife on her back. All of a sudden Bryant's head, which had been lolling down, snapped up and he twisted around until he reversed positions and held Kate's knife to her neck. Alexis froze and her eyes met the sheriffs, a knowing expression on the other woman's face. Alexis's lip twitched in a smile and she let her head down in a barely visible nod. She could do this.

Before anyone else knew what had happened both women had grabbed the knives from their backs and elbowed the men in the stomach. Alexis turned towards her former captor and held her knife out in front of her, the point almost at the man's chest, distracting him enough for Javier to jump out of the back of the wagon and bring the man to the ground, before knocking him unconscious. Alexis turned around, her knife still held out defensively in front of her as she saw Kate bent over holding her stomach and her father holding a revolver to Bryant's head.

"Father?"

"Hi sweetheart. Are you all right?"

"Great. Why do you have a gun?"

Castle shrugged as he met Kate's eye briefly, as she straightened, before turning back to his daughter. "The sheriff trusts me. How did you learn to do that move with the knife?"

Alexis shrugged as Kate smirked up at him. "I've been getting private lessons."

Castle's eyes widened. "Why does she get private lessons and I had to argue to get a gun?"

Alexis let out a small laugh and Kate smiled at the girl and reached up to tousle her red hair before walking away laughing.

The rest of the soldiers around them backed off, dropping their weapons, as Esposito pushed them towards their horses, a shotgun held firmly in his hands. Slowly, the pack of heroes fell quiet and made their way back over to their horses, Bryant in tow, as exhaustion began to overtake them.

* * *

><p>Kate brought the bottle of whiskey to her lips as she bent over the body of the small Cherokee boy, passing her fingers gently over his eyes, closing his eyelids. Esposito had taken Bryant back to town so he could set up residence in a jail cell until Kate could make it back to interrogate him. The rest of them were back at the reservation, salvaging the people and supplies that were savable. Josh had set up a small medical unit in one of the mostly intact teepees and Alexis was playing with some of the children over by the tree line. Overall, the girl seemed in good spirits considering the ordeal she had just gone through, even if there was a little more darkness in her eyes than had been present a couple of days before.<p>

She felt Castle approach her, as she closed her eyes to say a small prayer for the boy's soul. She had just watched him as he helped some of the women set up a fire to cook breakfast. Her stomached fluttered slightly as she felt him standing over her, but she pushed the feeling away. It was not the time. Slowly, she stood and backed away from the boy, taking a seat on the ground by the wagon.

"Porter told me he is planning to stay and help on the reservation for a while. These people have really gotten to him," Castle started as he sat down next to her. James Porter was talking to some of the men, asking questions about various objects, as they attempted to clean up the area. "He wants me to take over as editor in his absence."

Kate brought the bottle up to her lips again as her stomach started to churn. She wasn't going to be sad about him leaving or miss him. She wasn't. "Congratulations. So, when are you leaving?"

"Within the next couple of days." Castle's voice was quiet and Kate could hear the tinge of regret. "I'm not sure if I want the job. I was considering writing a novel actually, but I have to get back to the city no matter what. After all of this, I need to get Alexis home."

Kate nodded again, breathing through the pain building in her chest. He was right; he did have to get home. He didn't belong out in the west. It was too dangerous. "Yeah, you should get Alexis home, make sure she is really all right. Colorado Springs is no place for a young lady like her."

"Kate…" he began. That wasn't what he meant.

"No, I get it. You don't belong here, neither of you do." She took in a deep breath as she looked over the scorched earth. "So a novel? What about?"

"You. Well not you exactly, but about a tough, savvy, beautiful sheriff."

Kate smirked over at him, her eyes squinting in the morning light. She wasn't sure if she should be flattered or insulted. "Esposito will be jealous."

"He should be."

They sat there for a few more minutes and Kate allowed herself to lean her head on his shoulder, her anger at him evaporating, as his hand grasped hers. "Crazy couple of weeks." He whispered.

"This? No, this is normal out here." She joked gently into his side. "You city slickers just have it easy."

"City slickers? I am insulted. I happen to be a ruggedly handsome cowboy. Thank you. I have the hat and boots to prove it."

Kate hummed gently as she started to fall asleep against him and his arm wrapped around her, leaning them back against the wagon wheel.

"Go to sleep Katherine. You haven't slept in days," Castle whispered into her ear as her head burrowed deeper into his shoulder.

"We still have work to do," Kate mumbled back, her words muffled in his shirt.

"Josh and Annabelle are working on the last of the injured and Porter is helping with the final bits of the serious cleanup. Everything else can wait a couple of hours while you sleep."

Kate allowed herself to sag into him. "G'night Rick. Thank you."

"Shh. Good night. You have nothing to thank me for."

Her only reply was a gentle hum that vibrated through his body as her arm wrapped around his stomach, the whiskey bottle falling from her limp fingers.


	12. Chapter 12

The Western Way

A/N: Almost done! I did post chapter 11 a couple of days ago, but, for whatever reason, the story didn't re-post with it. So, if you missed the rescue scene, you may want to go back. :)

Here is chapter 12. The next chapter will be the last one! I am considering a sequel but only if the interest is there to read it. :)

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 12<span>

Kate stared at the man through then iron bars of the jail cell, studying his sunken face and the blue and purple bruises that marred his skin. She let a small, humorless smile pass over her lips as she leaned back against the edge of the large wooden desk in the middle of the jail and continued to watch him as he stared back.

"I'm not scared of you Bryant. I know what you did- your drunken soldier buddy spilled it all. You hired Lockwood, you attacked the reservation without cause, and you kidnapped three people. You did it all to break me because, for whatever reason, you don't like me. Well, you know what? I'm still here. I am still standing and you— you don't even know the hell you are about to face." Kate's voice was low and Bryant gulped at the predatory glint in her eye.

"You don't know anything and you can't prove anything. So, what are you going to do? Gut me like you did Lockwood?" Bryant attempted bravado falling flat.

Kate smiled as she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and took a step closer to the cell. "You can't prove that either and I can do you one better. You see, I know this writer and he has friends in high places in Washington. In fact, I think he has the names of a couple of colonels and generals one of which is your direct superior. Imagine that. Oh, I also believe he is sending a telegram to them right now, telling them that their man screwed up and they need to get out here to clean up his mess. You know one thing that generals hate, Bryant? It's being pulled out of their comfortable offices in Washington DC to come clean up their subordinates messes."

With that, Kate turned making her way towards the swinging door of the jailhouse, Bryant's pleading requests for negotiation and pale, fear stricken, face falling behind her as she strolled into the harsh afternoon sunlight.

Making her way across the dusty Colorado Springs street, she glanced at the townspeople milling around as she shaded her eyes from the sunlight peeking past the rim of her hat. She let out a soft sigh as her boots clomped up the stairs to the saloon. Castle was still at the Post sending and receiving telegrams from Washington. In his words, she had done her part to clean up this mess, now it was time for him to do his. She hadn't argued. Sometimes death wasn't the worst punishment a man could get. Slowly, she pushed open the door and made her way to the bar, walking behind it to give her father a kiss on the cheek and grab a half full bottle of whiskey from below the counter.

"Hi Dad."

"Hey, darlin'. How you holding up?" The concern was evident in Jim Beckett's voice as he watched his daughter make her way across the room to a table in the far back corner.

"Fine, Dad. Just cleaning up a couple of loose ends, is all." Kate sighed as she plopped down in the seat, sinking low as she pulled the small stack of papers out from her inside coat pocket. It was starting to get chilly in Colorado and Kate feared that a harsh winter lay ahead.

She stared at the papers for a moment before pulling out a pen and scratching her signature over the marked lines, only scanning over the contents of the agreement. It wasn't like she had much more to lose to Joshua Davidson anyway. Kate took a swig from the bottle, wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket as she looked over the papers once last time, making sure she hadn't missed anything, when a body plopped into the chair across from her.

Kate glanced up after a moment, already aware of who it was by the overwhelming smell of cologne radiating off of the man.

"Here you go, Josh. You are a free man," Kate declared as she unceremoniously plopped the papers down in front of him and leaned back in the chair, raising the bottle to her lips once more. "Congratulations on your impending nuptials."

Josh stared at her for a moment, taking in the black circles under her eyes and the defeated look on the woman's face. "You know, you left me first Katie. I just did what I had to do. I moved on with my life. I became a doctor to help keep women from losing their babies. I want to save lives. You need to stop living in the past, Kate. Move on with yours, too."

"I'm not living in the past, Josh. She was our daughter, not some thing you simply move on from."

Kate brought the whiskey bottle to her lips again and Josh reached out, yanking it from her hand.

"Cut it out with the alcohol, Katie, you're nearly as bad as your father."

Kate looked up at him and fumed, pushing herself out of her chair to lean over the table. "Don't call me Katie, you lost that right a long time ago. And never say anything about my father or myself, you son of a bitch. He is a good man. And, opposed to popular opinion, I am not a drunk, I am not a whore and due to the grace of God I am no longer your wife, so you have no authority at all over what I do. Go home Josh. Go marry your fiancé, have a passel of kids and live your perfect, happy life. You, your opinions and your holier than thou attitude are not welcome here anymore."

Kate grabbed the bottle of whiskey off the table and stormed out of the saloon, the doors swinging wildly as she pushed past them. She took another swig of the bitter liquid, practically guzzling it from the container, as she made her way down an alleyway before she paused and looked down at the bottle in her hand. She could feel the weight of the last few days falling down on her as her chest clenched tight and the emotions, she had been struggling to keep at bay, overwhelmed her.

The bottle burst into hundreds of little shattered pieces as it broke against the wall and the amber liquid dripped to the dirt ground. Her fist followed through the swing and pounded repeatedly into the hard wood. She felt the skin on her knuckles crack and felt the vibrations reverberate through her hand, the intense pain following, but she didn't care. Kate sunk to the ground as she wept openly, finally letting the events of the past few weeks overwhelm her. She cried for her mother, she cried for her child, she cried for the Cherokee and for herself as she sat sunken against a plain wooden wall. She could still feel Lockwood's hands on her, touching her, she could still see the dead look in his eyes as she stuck the knife into his stomach. She could see the fear and strength in Alexis's eyes as she showed the girl how to hold her fists up in a fight. She could feel the acceptance radiating off of Richard Castle as he sat next to her, a woman he barely knew, comforting her as she spilled her deepest secrets to him. She could see the calm in Little Bear's eyes as he looked up at her, bleeding on the ground, knowing he was going to die. She remembered it all and it was too much.

* * *

><p>Richard Castle was whistling as he skipped down the steps of the post office and back onto the bustling main street of Colorado Springs. He had spent the last few hours corresponding with Washington DC about Lieutenant Bryant and to say the higher-ups were not too thrilled with Bryant's actions was an understatement. Castle pulled his coat tighter around him as he made his way through the town. Winter was definitely impending. The trees were starting to lose their leaves and the smell of snow was soft in the air. It was going to be a harsh, long winter in Colorado.<p>

"Hey Esposito!" Castle called as he pushed his way through the jailhouse doors. "Where's Beckett, I have good news."

Esposito shrugged. "I don't know amigo, she headed out of here awhile ago. Hasn't been back since. What's going on?"

Castle glanced at Bryant, who was in the far cell, sitting on the same bench Lockwood had occupied only a few days earlier. "Oh nothing much, just tying up a few lose ends. You're going to be getting a few important visitors in a few days, is all."

Bryant glared up at him as Castle address the deputy. "I will see you later. I need to go find Kate. Do you know where she was headed?"

Esposito shrugged. "I think she might have gone to the saloon, but I'm not sure."

With a nod, Castle headed back out the doors and once again pulled his jacket tight around him as he made his way across the street to see Jim Beckett. If Kate wasn't still at the saloon, her father might know where she went. He scuffed his boot in the dirt as he walked down the street. A soft sound pulled him out of his thoughts and caused him to pause as he neared his destination. He glanced towards the bar and shrugged. Beckett could wait a minute.

"Hello?" He called softly as he made his way down the narrow alley. He could smell the faint smell of alcohol as he neared a stack of barrels and slowed at the sound of sniffled tears. "Are you all right?"

"Go away, Castle."

Rick paused at the command. "Kate?"

Castle rounded the stockpile of barrels to find Kate Beckett curled on the ground cradling her bloody hand. "Oh, Lord, Kate, what happened?"

"I um, I tried to box some demons and the building got in the way." Kate grimaced as Castle sat down next to her and poked her slightly swollen hand, unbending her fingers, examining the damage. He could smell the whiskey on her breath and glanced around to see the shards of broken glass lying on the ground.

Castle snorted as her attempt to joke fell flat. "You punched the wall."

"Yeah," she whispered.

"May I ask why?"

Kate shrugged as she averted her gaze to examine a small pile of dirt on the ground. "I guess I finally just broke. Josh came in accusing me of being an alcoholic and blamed me for him leaving and I just had had enough. After everything else that happened, I didn't need anymore. So, I stormed out and ended up here. Everything else is kind of a blur."

Kate leaned her head back against the building and let out a puff of air as Castle gently wrapped her cracked knuckles in his handkerchief. The words were itching on his tongue and the anger burned up inside if him. He wanted to know everything. He wanted to know what really happened with Lockwood. He wanted to know why Bryant wanted her dead in the first place. He wanted to know if she really was as okay as she kept saying. Even though, he was pretty sure he already knew the answer to that one. He wanted to tell her that she was better than all of it. He wanted to punch Joshua Davison. Instead, he gently pushed a stand of hair, that had fallen out of her braid, behind her ear and wrapped an arm around her to lift her to her feet as she stumbled slightly in her alcohol and emotion induced stupor. "Come on. The town can run itself for a day. Let's get you home."

Kate nodded against his arm as he helped her walk to the back of the building, taking the less traveled path out to the homestead.

"I'm not normally like this, you know," she mumbled softly into his shoulder.

"I know," he sighed at the broken woman leaning against his chest, his arm wrapped around her back, holding her securely under her armpit. He did know.

"Just another layer to the Beckett onion," she laughed humorously. "The battered and broken layer. The one no one ever likes to talk about."

"It's okay, Kate. We all break sometimes. That doesn't matter. What does matter is how you put yourself back together."

"What if I don't know how, Castle?"

"You'll figure it out. I promise." Castle leaned over and dropped a soft kiss to the top of her head.

The rest of the walk was done in silence but Kate didn't break away from his hold until they made the way up the steps to her small house. She tugged on his hand when he paused at her door and he followed her in, standing awkwardly as she shrugged off her duster, throwing it over the back of the chair in the corner and sat down on the edge of the bed to pull off her boots and hat, letting them fall in a pile to the floor. Castle looked around as Kate flopped down onto the bed and pulled the faded patchwork quilt up to her chin. He let out a small smile at the growing heap of laundry in the corner and the stacks of books filling the shelves of the large bookcases that overtook most of the space in the small room. So many layers.

"When are you leaving, Castle?"

Her question was so soft that he almost missed it, as he got lost in his musings. He sighed as he sank down onto the foot of the bed, turning to face her. "The last train for two weeks leaves tomorrow. We have to be on it if we don't want to risk getting caught here for the winter."

Kate nodded as she burrowed her head deeper into the pillow and curled her uninjured hand under her chin. "You could stay you know. You can write from anywhere."

Castle sighed and shook his head. He wasn't used to the needy Beckett and he knew the words would never have come out of her mouth if she were sober. "We have to go home, but that's not to say that I won't be back."

He reached out to cup a hand around her foot, through the blanket, as he continued. "A Colonel Maynard and General Johnson will be here as soon as they can to take Bryant into custody and work on actual negotiations with the Cherokee. I have a written statement saying that they are planning on supplying any aid and supplies the reservation and Colorado Springs may need to get back on their feet and make it through the winter. Bryant will stand trial in Washington for what he has done here."

Kate nodded into the pillow as her eyes drifted shut and a huge yawn escaped her lips.

"Sleep, Kate. Everything will be better in the morning. I promise."

"Night, Castle. Thank you."

Castle patter her foot one last time before he pushed himself off of the bed and leaned over to kiss her on the temple. "Always."

He waited until he was sure she was asleep before pulling the curtains on the windows closed, to block out the afternoon light, and slipping quietly out the door. There was one last thing he had to do before leaving Colorado Springs.

* * *

><p>"Dr. Davidson!" Castle called as he jogged up to the other man who was walking arm in arm with Annabelle through the lobby of the hotel. "Are you planning on taking the train back east tomorrow?"<p>

"Hello, Mr. Castle. Yes we are. We wish to get back home before the winter storms hit. Besides, we have a wedding to plan and, now that Kate has signed the divorce papers, we really have no other reason to stay in Colorado Springs."

Castle nodded as his fists flexed at his sides. The man really was a pompous ass. "Well, in any case, I really hope this doesn't make the trip any more awkward seeing as we will all be on the same train for over a week."

Josh looked at the other man confused. "What won't make it anymore awkward?"

"This." Castle replied as his right fist connected with the taller man's face and Annabelle let out a shocked squeak as the sickening crunch of a breaking nose echoed through the room.

Castle cradled his right hand as he took a step back and nodded to the blonde woman as Josh bent over, a hand cupped over his nose.

"You son of a bitch!" Josh exclaimed.

"Ms. Du Bois," Castle tipped his hat at the woman. "It was a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for all of your help the last few days. I hope you have a beautiful wedding and a happy marriage. Dr. Davidson- Katherine Beckett sends her regards. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go finish packing. Good day."


	13. Chapter 13

The Western Way

A/N: So, here it is, the final chapter in the Wild West journey. I hope you all enjoyed the ride! Look for the sequel, City Slickers, coming soon!

I would just like to thanks IdaKnight, melindaWRITER, crazy4castle, and LadyAilith for their constant reviews and support. You don't know what it means to me. :)

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 13<span>

Kate smiled as Alexis sat down next to her on the top step of the jail, the hem of her pale pink dress brushing the dusty ground. The young woman had been even more quiet than usual since they had returned from the reservation and Kate had been worried. Rebecca had whisked Alexis away upon their return to town and the girl had just followed along, shoulders slumped in defeat as her nanny had scolded her on her wardrobe and for refusing to act like a proper lady.

Alexis sat quietly for a moment, picking the dirt out from under her previously perfectly manicured fingernails. Kate sat silently alongside her, watching the people pass by from under the rim of her hat, which was pulled low, shading her hangover raw eyes from the too bright sun. She sat patiently, waiting for the girl to say whatever was on her mind. Alexis reminder her so much of herself it was scary. She knew she had give the girl time to get her thoughts in order, so she waited and her heart broke at the words that finally came out of the girl's mouth.

"Dr. Davidson said that you only liked me because I reminded you of your daughter. I know I shouldn't believe him, but before we go I just have to know if it is true or not."

Alexis looked down, scuffing her ankle boot in the dirt as Kate looked away from her, staring down the road. The pause was awkward, filled with spoken and unspoken fears and heartaches.

"I did have a baby, Alexis, a beautiful little girl. She died at birth, so I never got to see her grow into the extraordinary young woman I know she would have been. I know she would have been strong and smart and every bit as amazing as I had imagined. She would have been like you. Sarah would be thirteen now and when she was born she had this flaming red hair, just like yours. God, it was so beautiful." Kate reached out and touched Alexis's head maternally, pushing a patch of pumpkin hair that had fallen out of her braid behind her ear.

"But no, sweetie, I don't like you because you remind me of her. I like you because you are an amazing girl: so strong, sweet and smart," Kate paused, debating her next words. "Just promise me one thing, Alexis. No matter what happens in your life— what people tell you to be or how to act— make sure that you do exactly what you want to do, because in the end it is worth it. If you want to marry Ashley, then marry Ashley. If you want to go to college, then go to college. If you want to jump on a train and explore the world, then just go and do it. Never give up on a dream because people tell you it's not what you should be doing. Only you know what is right for you. You are worth everything and trust me; your father feels the same way. He only wants you to be happy."

Alexis turned in her seat on the step and wrapped her arms around Kate's neck. "I'm going to miss you, you know."

Kate's arms came up to squeeze the girl's back and let a soft smile grace her lips when she felt the knife still strapped there beneath the floral print dress. "I'm going to miss you too, but you have to go. The train will be leaving soon."

After a few more seconds, Alexis released her arms, letting them fall to her sides for a moment, before pushing herself off of the step and made her way towards the train station, Kate following behind her.

Kate smirked at Castle's wrapped hand as he walked up next to her on the platform and Alexis excused herself, with one last hug with Kate, as Rebecca called her away. "I saw Josh earlier this morning, he was sporting a pretty nasty black eye and broken nose. You wouldn't happen to know where he got that from, would you?"

"Me, no," Castle answered, innocently, holding up his hand in display, before glancing down at Kate's, which was wrapped in a bandana. "I just thought you and I should match."

Kate chuckled as their bruised hands brushed against each other. The silence that hung between them was comfortable as they stood facing each other, the chattering travelers and townspeople mixed with the puffs from the restless train filling the gap.

"You deserve to know— as trite as it may sound, you did change my life," Kate's eyes drifted to meet his, as Castle began to speak. "Before I came here, before I met you I thought the west was full of uncivilized heathens, that New York City was the only place in the world worth being. I was wrong. This place, these people are more amazing than anyone could ever imagine. Stronger, smarter, braver than any others I know. I thought… I thought women were just something to have on my arm, which was wrong to begin with, because I want so much more for my daughter. But you— you showed me different. You are more extraordinary than any single woman— person— that I have ever met. I would stay but I can't— not with Alexis and everything. She wants to go to college and the schools in New York will get her there. Also, she won't say it out loud, especially to you, she admires you too much, but she needs time to heal. I have to do what is right for my daughter. But I wish you would consider coming back with me."

Their eyes locked, a torrent of emotions spilling between them. He leaned closer to her, tilting her chin up gently with his hand, guiding her mouth to his as he slowly brushed her jaw with his thumb. He felt her shudder and paused as the tears began to spill down her cheeks. Too much, it was too much. Everything that had happened in the past month came tumbling down on her, once again, as she stood there staring into his eyes. She was damaged and he deserved better.

"I'm sorry, Rick. I can't. I am so sorry."

Castle pulled himself back and let his head fall briefly before he looking back up at the extraordinary woman standing in front of him. His heart broke, but not just because of the rejection, but because he had never heard Kate Beckett apologize for anything before. Somehow, he had been bestowed that honor.

Rick nodded slowly, caressing her neck one more time before he let his hand fall to his side. "It's a pity. We would have been great together."

Kate looked up at him, sadness dancing with mirth in her eyes as she let out a soft laugh, wiping at her persistent tears. She took a slow step towards him and lifted her hand up to his cheek, mimicking his pose from a moment earlier.

"You have no idea."

With out further statement, with out any parting words, she dropped her hand, grabbing his quickly and pressing something into his palm before turning to leave the platform. Rick reached out and grabbed her arm as it fell. If this truly was the last time he would ever see her, there was one more thing he had to know.

"Kate, what really happened with Lockwood?"

Kate looked up with him and this time there was no humor in her eyes. She considered him for a moment; the man who had made her laugh and cry, who she had bared her soul to. The man who had saved her life; who's life she had saved. Richard Castle had put his life on the line for her more times in the last month then she could remember anyone ever doing for her. If he deserved one thing, it was the truth.

"He raped me, Castle. That night in the saloon, when we captured him, I told you that the boys came in before he was able to do it, but I lied. He had already finished. The boys don't even know; I didn't tell them. I should have been stronger, faster. Then, he wouldn't have gotten the upper hand," Kate looked down, in shame and Castle's fist clenched at his side as he fought the urge to pull her into his arms and scream at her that it wasn't her fault.

"Every time he would look at me from inside of that cell it felt like he was doing it all over again," she continued softly. "That morning, I got back from the reservation and I was exhausted but I went to take over for Montgomery anyway. Lockwood just stared at me from inside the cell, a predatory grin on his face, like he would do it again if he ever got the chance.

"He would talk to me, you know, when there was no one else in the jail house he would taunt me, tell me what he would do to me if he ever got out. How he would torture me for hours, make me beg, make me want to die. That morning, standing there, I had had enough. He didn't deserve a trial, a chance at justice. He deserved to die. So, I put a rope around his neck, lead him out back and stuck a knife in his gut. He never said a word, never fought. Sometimes, I get the feeling that he still won, like he got what he wanted."

She looked up to see Castle staring back at her, a mixture of pity, understanding and horror in his eyes.

"Say what you want about me, Castle. Write what you want. Send the authorities out here to arrest me, but know this. I would do it again, in a heart beat, to rid the world of something as vile and cruel as Hal Lockwood."

With that, Kate Beckett turned and walked slowly off of the platform and back into the town of Colorado Springs, leaving Richard Castle to watch her retreating form. He glanced down at his open palm as held up the tiny wooden figure of a wolf. It was the piece of wood she had whittled while they were sitting in the woods together outside of the army camp only days before. The train let out one final warning whistle and Alexis called to him from the train car. Turning slowly, he hauled himself onto the steps with one final glance at the retreating back of the extraordinary Katherine Beckett.

* * *

><p>They had been right; the winter was a cruel one. Snowstorm after storm battered the town of Colorado Springs. Only days after Richard and Alexis Castle boarded the train back east, the first of the storms hit. Kate Beckett, once again, found herself traveling between the reservation and the town making sure the little supplies they had were well distributed. It was a way to keep herself occupied and not let her dwell too harshly on the life changing events she had just gone through. She tried not to think at all about Richard Castle and the flutter in her stomach that arose anytime her mind would wander to him. Instead, she teased Lanie about her and Javier's budding relationship and talked to Jenny's growing baby belly. She helped her father tend bar and refrained from drinking any of the whiskey herself. It was time for her to clean up her life and she was doing the best she could.<p>

General Johnson and Colonel Maynard were on the next train that arrive in the town, two weeks after the Castle's had left. The boxes of supplies they brought with them were cause for celebration, along with the loss of the criminal the general took back with him when he left a couple of days later. Colonel Maynard was a fair, if gruff, man and Kate finally had confidence that the Cherokee would get the treatment and attention they deserved. She received a telegram a couple of weeks later, informing her that Bryant's court martial date was set for spring and she was invited to attend if she saw fit. She crumpled it up and watched it burn as she lit it with the end of her cigarette. Ethan Bryant could go to hell.

Three month after the train carried Rick and Alexis away, winter was in full swing, a thick blanket of snow lay on the ground and the jail cells were both empty. Kate leaned back in her chair with her feet propped up on the desk and her hat tipped down over her face to keep out the cold afternoon light.

"Beckett, delivery!"

Kate pushed up her hat with a finger as Esposito dropped a package unceremoniously on the desk next to her. Slowly, she picked up the brown paper bundle, untied the twine, and peeled off the wrapping. She withdrew a fresh copy of the New York Times. She unfolded the newspaper and a wooden doll fell out; a loose piece of paper fluttering to her lap. The newspaper was dated for two months prior and the battered wrapping told her the package had been bouncing around, lost, for a while due to the unkind winter weather.

Her feet fell to the floor as she put the newspaper and doll, carefully, on her desk and plucked the small piece of paper out of her lap, holding it gently at the sides, letting it dangle from her fingertips.

_Kate, _

_The best thing about having layers is being able to peel them away and find the wonders that await you inside. Take this Matryoshka doll for instance; no matter what you see on the outside, there is always something better waiting for you if you dig a little bit deeper._

_According to the New York Times, Hal Lockwood died from an influenza outbreak while being held in custody in Colorado Springs. He won't be missed."_

_Always, _

_Richard Castle._

_P.S. New York truly is a wonderful city and I know a great place you could stay if you ever decide to visit. I have it on great authority that the door is always open and the people are friendly._

Kate bit her bottom lip as she read the letter for the third time. That man was going to be the death of her. It had been months since Kate had walked off that train platform and had refused to turn around to watch Richard Castle be carried back to New York City. She shook her head at the fact that she hadn't stopped thinking about him, wondering if she would ever see him again. She had tried. Really, she had.

Folding the letter carefully with a single crease in the middle, she placed it on top of the newspaper and moved to pick up the Russian Nesting Doll instead. Kate twisted the doll open slowly and smiled softly as a smaller doll came into view. She kept going until she had five of them in total: each one of them painted in vibrant colors, telling a different beautiful story. Before she knew it, she had pushed herself up out of her chair, gathered up her new belongings and was making her way towards the swinging door.

"Yo, boss, where are you going?"

"I gotta take a trip, Javi. I trust you and Ryan can keep yourselves out of trouble for a few months."

"A trip? You? Wait, months?"

"Yeah, it's called a vacation, Esposito. You should try it some time."

Javier Esposito smiled as leaned back on the wooden bench and propped his hands behind his head. He watched as Kate Beckett pushed her way out into the snow-covered streets of Colorado Springs; the afternoon sun forming a halo around her silhouette. Richard Castle didn't know what he was getting himself into.

* * *

><p>Fin.<p>

* * *

><p>AN2: So, you all looking forward to the sequel? ;)


End file.
